FSU College of Business department under new name and leadership

As the name of the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate and Business Law changes to the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate and Legal Studies in the Florida State University College of Business, the department also welcomes new department chair James Carson, FSU’s Payne & Charlotte Hodges Midyette Eminent Scholar.

“We are proud and excited to be able to name Dr. James Carson as the next department chair for our risk management/insurance, real estate and legal studies department,” said Caryn L. Beck-Dudley, dean of the College of Business. “Dr. Carson brings a wealth of experience and the weight of an eminent scholar to this leadership position.”

The announcement of the name change, instituted to encompass the breadth of knowledge gained in the department’s legal studies courses, and the change in department chairs come on the heels of a farewell to the prior department chair, Joan Gabel, who will become the dean of the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business.

“I am very excited to be able to serve as department chair for one of the top groups of insurance, real estate and legal studies scholars in the nation,” Carson said. “It has always been clear that the faculty and staff are intensely devoted to providing outstanding opportunities for students through excellent teaching and research, interaction with industry professionals, internships, global perspectives, and many other life-changing experiences. It is my hope to build on the strong foundation that has been set by the vision and hard work of others over the past several decades, and to continue to help open the minds and hearts of students to the joys of learning.”

U.S. News & World Report ranked the department’s Risk Management/Insurance Program No. 6 among public institutions and No. 8 nationally for 2010, while also ranking the Real Estate Program No. 9 among public institutions and No. 12 nationally. The department also houses the Center for Insurance Research, the Center for Real Estate Education & Research and the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center.