To 4,000 and Beyond!
CAS Membership Tops 4K Mark
By Taresa LaRock, CAS Communications Coordinator

While no bells sounded or confetti fell, there was much reason to celebrate on February 16, 2005 when the CAS Executive Council approved the admission of 22 new members, putting CAS membership over the 4,000 mark! (Who was number 4,000? See page 30 to find out.)

To be exact, there are 2,679 Fellows, 1,305 Associates, and 30 Affiliate members, making a grand total of 4,014 members.

The Spring 2005 class of new Associates and Fellows marks a major milestone in CAS history. "Having 4,000 members means we have greater capacity to perform actuarial work for insurers and other organizations, to improve the science behind our profession, and to expand into other areas of risk management," said CAS President Stephen P. D'Arcy.

"When I became a Fellow in 1975 here we had fewer than 300 Fellows and around 650 total members," D'Arcy said. "That we have grown so much in the last 30 years is very impressive."

But, one must look back even farther than 30 years to fully appreciate the impressive growth in the organization.

Started in 1914, the CAS was originally named the Casualty Actuarial and Statistical Society of America. The charter class totaled 97 Fellows-the only classification for members at the time. The founder of the association, I. M. Rubinow, became the first president.

In 1921, the organization adopted its current name. It was not the only change the organization would encounter. In the coming years, the CAS would see large increases in the number of members, along with a changing demographic profile with the addition of female members.

By 1965, the CAS had more than 400 members. But it was the 1980's that saw the growth in membership and the profession gain speed. By 1985, the CAS had more than 1,000 members. In 1988, the profession was first recognized in the Jobs Rated Almanac as one of the best jobs in America. "Actuary" has made the top five list in every edition since.

While the numbers were changing, the composition of the members was changing as well. In 1960, only three percent of all members were female. But in 1978, the CAS elected its first female president. In fact, Ruth Salzmann was the first female president of any North American actuarial society (for more on Salzmann, see page 16). At that time, about 11 percent of members were female and about 20 percent of new members were female. Currently, about 25 percent of CAS members are female.

The association also saw a change in its membership classification. In 1998, the Affiliate class of membership was established.

While the growth in the organization has been viewed positively, the days of a smaller, closer-knit society are remembered fondly. "The only drawback [to the growth in numbers]," said D'Arcy, "is that it is hard to know all the other members, something that was feasible in 1975."

The organization and the field continue to grow, due much to the CAS members themselves. "Casualty actuarial work is a great job for mathematically inclined individuals," said D'Arcy. "The road to success is performance-based, rather than based on political connections, and most actuaries I know are great champions at advertising our specialized profession."