PHILADELPHIA, April 14, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a 35-year partnership that extends back to the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania have reaffirmed their partnership and commitment to providing the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation, which is widely recognized as a pinnacle achievement within the employee benefits field.
"As organizations tackle the critical issues facing both employers and employees -- from rising health care costs to precipitous losses in retirement investments -- Wharton's 35-year partnership with the International Foundation can have more impact now than ever," remarks Tom Colligan, vice-dean of Wharton's Aresty Institute of Executive Education. The academic responsibility for the content and standards of the program now lies within Wharton's executive education department. "The content we deliver in the CEBS program will help employee benefit specialists address these significant challenges and develop solutions to benefit organizations and the people they serve," Colligan notes.
"We are extremely pleased to be renewing our relationship with Wharton," says Michael Wilson, CEO of the International Foundation. "Wharton's contributions will help move the CEBS designation to the next level and proactively meet the needs of the practitioners within the field," he adds.
CEBS is a rigorous curriculum that covers the entire employee benefit and compensation spectrum. It tackles critical issues facing both employers and employees today -- rising health care costs, losses to retirement investments, and new regulations affecting employee benefits. Offered jointly by the International Foundation and the Wharton School, it brings together human resources officers, consultants, and insurance and health care professionals as well as lawyers, actuaries, and government professionals who seek the latest knowledge and information surrounding these critical issues related to employee benefits.
"The CEBS program addresses some of our most important questions today," says Jerry S. Rosenbloom, Frederick H. Ecker Professor Emeritus of Insurance and Risk Management, and Academic Director of the program. "Can people really retire now, or do they have to work longer?" With 401(k) and other retirement plans ravaged recently by dramatic losses in value, that question is no longer rhetorical for many people. "Plummeting financial markets have raised new questions about how employers and employees should be dealing with their retirement plans," Rosenbloom says. The International Foundation, with a 54-year history in employee benefit education, provides the knowledge the benefits industry needs to help answer such critical questions.
The focus of the CEBS program extends to health care and compensation issues. With the new administration in Washington concentrating attention on issues such as executive compensation caps, the CEBS program prepares employee benefit and compensation professionals for changes in policy. Wharton develops the rigorous program curriculum and the examinations that are required for professionals to earn the CEBS designation.
The CEBS program also offers the opportunity to earn designations in three distinct areas of specialization: group benefits, retirement, and compensation. Participants can earn a designation in each of the specialty tracks. They also receive credit that will qualify toward earning the CEBS designation, which carries an eight-course requirement.
To accommodate the need of professionals in the industry, the programs are designed for independent self-study. An online study program is available, as well as in-person study programs at participating colleges and universities across the U.S.
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AT THE WHARTON SCHOOL
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania -- founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school -- is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The School has more than 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 12,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of more than 84,000 graduates.
Informed by in-depth, groundbreaking academic research and extensive industry experience, Wharton Executive Education programs can span anywhere from a few days to six weeks or longer. Each executive education program offers a supportive and challenging context where participants gain the skills necessary for their next level of executive development. Participants who come to Wharton from a diverse range of industries engage with faculty who are the most cited, most published faculty of all top-tier business schools. With a profound influence upon global business, Wharton faculty are the sought-after, trusted advisors of corporations and governments worldwide.
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INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION OF EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
The International Foundation is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to being a leading objective and independent global source of employee benefits, compensation and financial literacy education and information. The Foundation delivers education, information and research, and networking opportunities to 35,000 benefits and compensation professionals who have come to rely on it for objective, accurate, and timely information. Its conference curriculum includes over 100 conferences covering health, pension, investment, financial literacy and benefits communication issues. Compliance as well as basic training is provided through over 50 e-learning programs and timely webcasts. Members of the International Foundation enjoy free personalized research services, daily benefit news and informative publications.
CONTACT: Aresty Institute of Executive Education, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Media Contacts: Tamela Vieira, Program Director,+1.215.573.6419, vieirat@wharton.upenn.edu; Wendy Parsons, Director of Marketing Communications,+1.215.898.7239, parsonsw@wharton.upenn.edu. International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans: Media Contacts: Public Relations, Stacy Van Alstyne, Director, +1.262.373.7746, stacyv@ifebp.org; Brenda Rood, Public Relations Associate, +1.262.373.7756, brendar@ifebp.org