Blue Cross CEO Dan Loepp Urges Walsh College Grads to ‘Leave a Mark’
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| 2 min read
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan President and CEO Daniel J. Loepp celebrated the company’s strong relationship with Walsh College during a commencement address in which he urged graduates to think about the mark they leave on the world. “Your careers probably won’t follow neat and orderly trajectories or be confined to a single industry; mine certainly hasn’t,” Loepp told an estimated 200 Walsh graduates gathered Saturday at Zion Christian Church in Troy. “You’ll need to be open to changing course, to trying new ideas, no matter how outlandish they may seem.” Loepp served as the keynote speaker at Walsh College’s 106th commencement ceremony and was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, which he said he was honored to receive. In his speech, Loepp focused on the strong connections between BCBSM and Walsh, a private, nonprofit business school headquartered in Troy. He discussed his upcoming 10-year anniversary as president and chief executive, and he recounted the decision to relocate 4,100 employees to downtown Detroit as a way to fuel the city’s ongoing turnaround. “The statistics tell us that most of you will be staying around town after graduation,” Loepp told graduates. “That is great. We need all of your talent and work ethic, your intellectual and creative capital, to help revitalize this city and state. “You can make a difference right here.” Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan currently counts 220 Walsh alumni among its employee ranks. More than a dozen employees are currently enrolled in classes at the business school, which encourages its students to embrace philanthropy. “The importance of business and community leadership cannot be overestimated, and Dan Loepp exemplifies that value admirably within our region and the nation. Simply, he represents the best of that leadership,” Walsh College President and CEO Stephanie Bergeron said. “Walsh College is proud of its nearly century-long business education legacy. Our high-quality degree programs are highly valued by students and employers alike. In fact, BCBSM ranks sixth among companies that employ the largest total of Walsh College students and alumni. We admire how Dan has guided the firm’s sweeping initiatives and positive innovations that have led to a statewide transformation of health care in Michigan.” Walsh College was founded as an accounting school in downtown Detroit in 1922 by Mervyn B. Walsh, a certified public accountant. Today, the accredited college offers 19 business and related technology degree programs for undergraduate and graduate-level students. Walsh College offers classes at facilities in Troy, Novi, Clinton Township, Port Huron and online.
