Cooper Receives Honorary Degree from Millersville University

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Bennett J. Cooper, Millersville University honorary degree recipient, fall 2012.

MILLERSVILLE, PA (12/17/2012)(readMedia)-- Millersville University of Pennsylvania named Bennett J. Cooper, of Phoenixville, Pa., a recipient of a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree. Cooper, a 1967 graduate of Millersville, was selected for his extraordinary service to Millersville University as cabinet vice chairman of Soar to Greatness: The Campaign for Millersville. The honorary degree was presented on Sunday, December 16, 2012 during the University's fall commencement ceremony.

Millersville grants honorary doctoral degrees to individuals of extraordinary accomplishments. As an academic institution, Millersville confers its highest honor on those individuals who have shown remarkable creativity or distinguished themselves through service or scholarship.

Cooper, a tax attorney who has led financial service organizations to record-setting levels of production, emphasizing advisory and consultative sales, is currently the senior distribution consultant and in-house counsel for Branca-Rampart Agency. Prior to retiring as president and CEO of Karlsberg International, an offshore international insurance company, he had been the president of American General Life and Accident (AIG/AGLA), a large insurance company with 5,000 agents and more than $1 billion of premium under management. Before joining AIG/AGLA, Cooper was president of Branca-Rampart Financial Services, Inc., a regional broker/dealer, and a senior consultant with Tillinghast-Towers Perrin; he also served as senior vice president with the John Hancock Insurance Company.

He spent 40 years successfully building and managing profitable insurance and financial services operations. He has established, expanded and transitioned career and brokerage divisions, regions and agencies to award-winning levels. At Millersville University, Cooper has been active with the Honors College and the Millersville Mentoring Alliance Program and is a member of the 1855 Society.

Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a top-ranked, public university located in the northeast region of the United States. It is committed to offering students a high quality, comprehensive university experience of exceptional value. Dedicated to providing nationally recognized programs that embrace the liberal arts, Millersville offers academic opportunities that are supported by outstanding faculty who are accomplished scholars and practitioners. Founded in 1855 as the first Normal School in Pennsylvania, Millersville University is one of 14 universities within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.