AUBURN, Ala.—When Christine Eick first arrived at Auburn University, limited demand for risk management services from the campus community gave her time to focus on the university's insurance program.

“My first four or so months I was able to do a lot of work on the insurance program because risk management still had a pretty low profile,” Ms. Eick said. “We weren't getting a lot of calls and requests for services because people weren't used to asking for a full range of services.”

During that period, she restructured the program extensively, she said. “A lot of it was just stuff that made sense, like Auburn used to have a zero deductible for fleet liability,” she said. “We had no business having a zero deductible. All you had to do was look at the loss runs. Our average losses were like $20,000 a year and we were paying $170,000-odd for a zero-deductible policy.”

Today, risk financing at Auburn is a combination of commercial insurance and self-funded programs. In 2009, the university spent more than $4 million on its risk financing program. The university has two multimillion-dollar self-insured programs—the Comprehensive General Liability Trust Fund and the On-the-Job Injury program—with manuscripted policies for general liability and workplace injuries.

“We're self-insured for the first layer of liability,” Ms. Eick said. “We don't fall under workers compensation; we're exempt from that.” Under Alabama law, the university is exempt from workers compensation, but it is required to provide some benefits, which it does through the self-funded program.

The university's primary insurer relationship is with Chevy Chase, Md.-based risk retention group United Educators Insurance. “United Educators has the bulk of our coverage,” Ms. Eick said. “We place over $1 million in premium their way. They do our professional liability and what we call the "buffer layer,' which includes more than just (general liability). And they have our excess liability.”

The university purchases aviation insurance for its airport, university-owned air transit services and nonowned aviation, which is coverage for liabilities that might occur in connection with aircraft the organization uses but doesn't own. “Aviation insurance is pretty big for us because we have an airport and a fleet and a flight education program,” Ms. Eick said.

Other purchased coverage includes animal bailee insurance—which covers veterinary operations in the event an animal in their care or control is accidentally killed or injured—and professional liability for veterinary medical malpractice, educators legal liability, directors and officers liability, professional liability, medical malpractice, crime coverage, property insurance, fine arts coverage, scheduled property and inland marine, medical evacuation and repatriation, excess workers compensation, sports club liability and accident for student organizations, medical and accidental death and dismemberment for intercollegiate athletics, event cancellation, accident and illness for camps, student health insurance and weather insurance.

Other insurers handling Auburn's various types of coverage include AXA Group; Global Aerospace Underwriting Managers Ltd.; Great American Insurance Group; Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.; Lexington Insurance Co.; Midwest Employers Casualty Co.; National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pharmacists Mutual Cos.; State of Alabama Insurance Fund; Travelers Cos. Inc.; and Zurich Financial Services Group Inc.

Various brokers place those coverages, including Academic Risk Resources and Insurance L.L.C., Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Marsh Inc. and Molton Allen & Williams L.L.C.

“We're utilizing our brokers a whole lot more, meeting quarterly and setting up a plan of what projects they might help us with or where are things going, where can we improve efficiency,” the risk manager said.

Ms. Eick also is working to collect and present better information on university exposures to help reduce insurance costs. Her various efforts are credited with saving the university hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance costs annually.

“We're actually getting out and meeting with the deans and some key administrators at least on an annual basis as we prepare for renewals,” she said. Those meetings are an opportunity not only to gather exposure information but also to get feedback from university officials about what kind of programs and services they'd like from risk management.

“We collect information that really highlights Auburn so we can say, "We're a pretty darn good account. So sharpen your pencil, underwriter, and let's have a nice proposal here,'” Ms. Eick said.