University of California Partnership Programs and MetLife Auto & Home, one of the nation’s leading personal-lines insurance groups, today (Oct. 27) announced a multicampus program that provides personal auto, homeowners and renters insurance products to faculty, staff, alumni and students on the Davis, Berkeley and San Diego campuses.

This marks the first time MetLife Auto & Home has partnered with a specific university on a comprehensive offering that spans several campuses and stakeholder groups within a university system. MetLife Auto & Home is offering its MetLife Choice platform to the participating campus communities, providing individuals with multiple quotes from highly rated insurance carriers to get coverage that meets their needs, as well as a tailored customer experience including digital access and dedicated telephone numbers for employees, alumni and students.

‘Personalized experience’

UC Partnership Programs, which launched in June 2019, works collectively with the campuses to create dynamic multicampus and systemwide partnerships between business providers and UC campuses. The program is part of the SupplyChain500 Initiative, which aims to transform UC procurement supply chains across the UC system to deliver $500 million in annual benefits in support of the university’s mission of teaching, research and public service.

“Creating collaborative partnerships across the UC system with partners like MetLife Auto & Home not only provides favorable terms for our faculty, staff, alumni and students, it optimizes overall value for the university,” said William Cooper, UC associate vice president and chief procurement officer. “These strategic relationships prioritize our university values, generate new sustainable revenue streams to the system, and improve financial foundations and service to the campuses.”

Benefits for campuses

Through this initiative, MetLife Auto & Home will provide additional benefits to the three campuses, including discounts on individual or bundled insurance packages through the MetLife Choice platform; convenient, automatic payment options, including payroll deduction on MetLife Auto & Home insurance for employees through UCPath; and access to educational content and one-on-one consulting.

As part of the agreement, and in exchange for various marketing opportunities, MetLife Auto & Home will support staff and student development, multicampus initiatives and research, among other initiatives. The five year, nearly $3 million agreement also includes an opportunity to expand the program to include other interested UC campuses.

UC Partnership Programs selected MetLife Auto & Home after a robust and collaborative review process by the Davis, Berkeley and San Diego insurance working groups. Each campus’s Insurance Working Group included representation from various stakeholders across their respective campuses, including but not limited to undergraduate and graduate student populations; faculty; and staff from student affairs, intercollegiate athletics and human resources divisions, and alumni associations.

The insurance working groups reviewed and scored potential partners in a variety of areas, such as stakeholder benefits, insurance products and services, strategic brand alignment, corporate social responsibility, student engagement, research and innovation, and total campus revenue and cost savings.

Funding for Davis campus

“MetLife Auto & Home stood out among all the respondents throughout the process due to their commitment to meeting UC’s unique needs and values,” said Amy Gardner, executive program lead of UC Partnership Programs. “The MetLife Choice platform is a great illustration of their ability to customize offerings, as it allows our community members to find the best policy by providing more personalized options for our diverse community.”

For its role in supporting the MetLife Auto & Home program, the Davis campus will receive funding it intends to use on undergraduate and graduate student programs, the Cal Aggie Alumni Association and Staff Assembly.

“We are excited to welcome MetLife Auto & Home as our official auto and home insurance partner and look forward to the benefits they will provide our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” said Lisa Frace, chief finance and budget officer at UC Davis. “MetLife’s global commitment to diversity and inclusion and sustainability align with our university values and make them an ideal partner.”

About MetLife and MetLife Auto & Home

MetLife Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

MetLife Auto & Home is one of the nation’s leading personal-lines insurance groups, insuring nearly 4 million autos and homes, and is affiliated with MetLife Inc.

About UC Partnership Programs

UC Partnership Programs creates dynamic multicampus and systemwide partnerships between business providers and the University of California, a world-class public research university with 10 campuses, 280,380 students, 227,000 faculty and staff, and more than 2 million living alumni. UC Partnership Programs works collaboratively across campuses to build and extend strategic partnerships that value the university’s brand association, interests and business opportunities, and the values and mission of teaching, research and public service.