HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Northern Kentucky University officially opened the Western & Southern Contact Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Campbell Hall. Dignitaries from both NKU and Western & Southern were on hand for the celebration.
“We are excited to partner with Western & Southern to provide this work-integrated learning opportunity for our students,” said NKU President Ashish Vaidya. “The new contact center will allow our students to work part-time and gain meaningful real-world experience while pursuing their degree simultaneously.”
The new contact center will allow students an opportunity for employment and engagement with one of the area’s most well-known companies. It is just the latest development in NKU’s partnership with Western & Southern, which has included the company’s participation in-class projects, career fairs and other special occasions on campus.
“We are happy to have the opportunity to partner once again with NKU,” said John F. Barrett, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Western & Southern Financial Group. “NKU students bring exceptional talent to the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region. We want to tap into that talent by helping them get to know Western & Southern and the great opportunities a career in financial services offers. We hope this leads to more NKU students staying here after graduation to work, raise a family and enjoy all our region has to offer.”
The opening of the contact center aids NKU in implementing one of its main goals: to provide a real-world experience for students while they are pursuing their education. Students can expect to perform a variety of duties at the center, including making outbound calls to life insurance applicants to verify application information as part of the underwriting process.
More than 200 hours of student work is expected to be available at the contact center, which will be open Monday through Friday during normal business hours. Work schedules will be flexible around a student’s class schedule.
