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Project Summary: Winthrop University
Winthrop University’s project is designed to promote student financial education for its highly diverse student population, which is made up of 40% minority, 45% low income, and 31% first generation students. The project includes incorporating financial literacy education into existing courses, a series of professional development seminars, and a new financial literacy website.
Project plan and activities:
A module on financial education was incorporated into the required undergraduate freshman course, “Principle of the Learning Academy (ACAD 101).” All sections of ACAD 101 address financial education at the same point in the semester in order to ensure a common experience and encourage substantive conversations outside of class. Resident Learning Coordinators in each freshmen residence organize “common conversations” in each freshmen residence hall to build upon the discussions in ACAD 101. Students who live in the residence halls also have available an annual, online workshop program, ranging in topics from note-taking to online course software to financial education.
Also available to undergraduates is the existing course, Personal Finance (FINC 101), which added two additional sections and be marketed to both business and non-business majors campus-wide.
For the graduate population, Winthrop utilized the CGS online resources, built additional online resources, and created four one-hour professional development seminars that are administered by faculty/staff to students in person throughout the academic year. Faculty in the four colleges also incorporated these seminars and online materials into the requirements for their graduate courses. Content focuses on budgeting and cash flows, managing debt, taxes and insurance, and investing for your future.
In addition to using the CGS-generated online resources, Winthrop University built a website that overviews the financial education programs, includes videos of faculty and staff covering financial education topics, links to resources, makes available a loan calculator to students, and provides access to other tools for financial education.
More information on the project can be found here.
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