Introduction to the Nankai-Taikang College of Insurance and Actuarial Science

The Nankai-Taikang College of Insurance and Actuarial Science (formerly known as the Nankai- Taikang Actuarial Joint Research Center) was established in May 2023. This entity was founded with the support of the "Nankai University Taikang Group Donation Fund." The primary mission of the institute is to uphold the concept of innovative development, focus on cutting-edge issues in the field of insurance actuarial science both domestically and internationally, leverage the advantages of a comprehensive university, integrate effective resources, and conduct research and practice that merges theory, methodology, and application in insurance actuarial science. The institute aims to gather and cultivate high-end insurance actuarial talent, address major strategic issues in the modernization of national governance systems and capabilities, support foundational and forward- looking research in the industry, and propel the insurance actuarial discipline of Nankai University to a new height, leading the development direction of China's insurance actuarial discipline and entering the ranks of international advanced research.

Insurance and actuarial science is a traditional advantage discipline of Nankai University. In 1984, Nankai University enrolled its first batch of insurance master's students. In the same year, under the initiative and promotion of Professor Maoshan Liu, Nankai University signed a cooperative education agreement with the People's Insurance Company of China and enrolled the first batch of undergraduate insurance students in 1985, marking the establishment of Nankai's insurance discipline. In 1987, under the suggestion and promotion of Professor Kailing Duan from Temple University in the United States, Nankai University signed a joint training agreement for actuarial master's students with the Society of Actuaries (SOA) of North America and enrolled the first batch of actuarial master's students in 1988. This made Nankai University the first university in China to establish an actuarial discipline, pioneering actuarial education in China. In 1992, Nankai University introduced the North American actuarial qualification examination system and, with the support of Manulife Financial from Canada, established China's first Society of Actuaries examination center, marking the beginning of the actuarial profession in China.

Over more than 30 years of construction and development, the insurance and actuarial discipline at Nankai University has adhered to the open education philosophy of "equal emphasis on theory and practice, rooted in China with a global perspective." The discipline has achieved remarkable results in scientific research, talent training, social services, and international exchanges. It has formed a multi-level talent training system including undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs, with independent master's and doctoral programs. Both insurance and actuarial science have been selected as national first-class undergraduate programs, supplying a large number of professional talents to the insurance industry and related fields in China.