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Scholarships to UNCG Students Promote Skills for Mortgage-Oriented Careers

Greensboro's Arch Mortage Insurance Company helped ease the financial needs of four UNCG juniors and seniors whose majors could prepare them for jobs in mortgage-insurance. The post Scholarships to UNCG Students Promote Skills for Mortgage-Oriented Careers appeared first on UNC Greensboro.

Greensboro’s Arch Mortgage Insurance Company (Arch MI) has offered its financial support to UNC Greensboro for more than 40 years. UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics and Spartan Athletics are among the programs that have received generous gifts.  

Now, the company establishes the Arch MI Scholars at UNCG with a pledge to award scholarships to four deserving students over their junior and senior years.  

The scholarship program is created for North Carolina students having financial need and majoring in disciplines in the Bryan School or College of Arts & Sciences pertinent to the mortgage insurance industry. 

The first Arch MI Scholar at UNCG has been named: Sarah Robinson, a computer science major. After career experiences as an EMT and in pharmacies, she earned her community college associate’s degree and is now pursuing her passion at UNCG: computer programming. “I want to gain experience programming at each level of computing,” she says. “Thanks to my Arch MI Scholarship, I will be able to spend more time purely focusing on my academic goals and truly immerse myself in my studies.” 

The program goes far beyond providing scholarships. Arch MI Scholars at UNCG will also be considered for two paid internship opportunities in their junior and senior years. In addition, there will be consideration for a one-year fellowship at the company post-graduation: a full-time, paid-with-benefits, entry-level position within the areas of actuarial, data analytics, accounting/finance, information technology, pricing, risk management, information systems analytics, business management, or economics. 

“The Arch MI Scholars program at UNCG is a win-win for both the University and Arch MI,” says Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. “UNCG’s students offer excellent talent that our region’s corporations value, and this innovative program will help propel many of our students to outstanding careers.” 

The company is seeking a reliable employee talent pipeline, and the demographics of UNCG’s undergraduate student body are a good fit for this program. More than 90 percent of UNCG’s undergraduate students are from North Carolina, and close to 50 percent identify as first-generation students and receive federal Pell Grants. That 65 percent work to make ends meet while attending college underscores the importance of the program’s paid internship component: Most UNCG students cannot afford to work an unpaid internship in lieu of a paid job that helps to pay their bills.  

Michael Schmeiser, CEO of Arch MI, says that it’s a business imperative to foster the growth of the next generation of talent. “By providing scholarships, internships, and fellowship opportunities for these students, we can help make a difference in leveling the playing field for need-based students within our local community.” 

College graduates who have worked paid internships average a higher rate of job offers and a higher starting salary than those with unpaid internships. Nationally, eight of ten employers say paid internships provide the best ROI as a recruiting strategy by creating a pool of entry-level candidates with the experience and skills employers want.  

Greensboro’s Arch MI is home to many UNCG alumni. With a generous matching-gifts program at Arch MI, many have supported UNCG’s Light the Way campaign.  

Arch MI offers expert risk management and financial services to help mortgage lenders protect their investments and expand their origination opportunities. The company employs more than 700 professionals and support staff at its headquarters in Greensboro and in other locations throughout the world. As an industry leader, it has unparalleled insight into market challenges, as well as the maturity and experience to offer solutions.  

By funding the Arch MI Scholars at UNCG, Arch MI continues to affirm its partnership with the University. This gift is part of UNCG’s Light the Way: The Campaign for Earned Achievement, which will increase access, elevate academic excellence, and enhance the tremendous impact of UNCG’s programs. 
 
Visit lighttheway.uncg.edu for additional information.   

Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications

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