Success Stories

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Colleges and universities across the country are finding creative, effective ways to build financial skills with their students. Our case studies explore how institutions both large and small use CashCourse within their campus-based financial literacy programs. Check out these profiles to learn how schools are approaching personal finance across the country. 

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East Central University

At East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, Rhonda Hibbard recognizes the importance of students receiving financial education throughout their college experience. As part of East Central University’s NASNTI (Native American – Serving Nontribal Institutions) Program, a financial literacy initiative was launched to increase students’ awareness of personal finance.  Read on to learn more. »

University of Houston

At the University of Houston, Simone Doudna and Frank Kelley work to promote financial education to their students. Using a variety of programming, students learn about personal finance by checking out resources on the library website or pursuing a track in Personal Financial Planning in the College of Business.  Read on to learn more. »

Carthage College

At Carthage College, a small liberal arts school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jean Quashnock is coordinator of the dual-degree program in engineering and a professor of physics and astronomy. He also holds a separate academic interest in teaching students about personal finance. We talked to Quashnock about his work teaching a January-term financial education class at Carthage. Read on to learn more. »

Metropolitan Community College

Sabrina Osborn, Student Financial Services program coordinator, leads financial literacy efforts across the five campuses of Metropolitan Community College (MCC). Her work includes reaching students through their First Year Experience  seminar, strategic tabling efforts and their peer mentor program. Osborn has taken a flexible and student-first approach to offering financial education at her campuses. Thanks to these efforts, MCC has been a top five CashCourse school for web engagement. Read more about MCC’s financial education initiatives here. »

University of California Irvine

We spoke with Lee Anne Maki, the executive director of the Center for Investment and Wealth Management at UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business, about the variety of financial education programs offered by her office. With a unique position as a nonprofit on UCI’s campus, they coordinate programs in the Orange County community in addition to their student outreach. They promote CashCourse as part of a coordinated financial literacy campaign via their student ambassadors and conduct monthly workshops on campus. Read on to learn more about the University of California Irvine. »

Kansas State University Powercat Financial

The CashCourse team interviewed Jodi Kaus, director of Powercat Financial at Kansas State University, to discuss the financial education badge she has developed, “Get Money Savvy with CashCourse.” This digital badge signifies a student has obtained essential financial skills; it has worked as a powerful motivator for students to learn about money management. Read on to learn more about K-State’s badging work.»

University of Akron

We are proud to support the University of Akron’s “Ballin’ on a Budget” program through the CashCourse Reimbursement Program for Incentives. This financial wellness initiative offers a variety of events each month on a different financial topic. Students can attend an interactive workshop, do an at-home challenge, or even just read an e-newsletter about a money subject through this program. We spoke with Taylor Sminchak, the coordinator of outreach at University of Akron’s ZipAssist office, to learn more about Ballin’ on a Budget. Learn more about the University of Akron. »

Riverland Community College

The CashCourse team recently had the pleasure of chatting with a group of educators and staff at Riverland Community College. Combining the First Year Experience (FYE) program, TRiO Student Support Services, the library, the financial aid office, and the Riverland Foundation for Scholarships, this team truly represented the Riverland campus. Betsy Goetz, an English and FYE instructor, had helped lead this collaboration to bring an incredible financial literacy event to their campus. The team wanted to keep the event flexible for their busy students while being a fun, educational experience. In its third year, this event has become a campus staple. Learn more about Riverland Community College. »

Barstow Community College

Wendy Packer, a financial aid technician at Barstow Community College, recognizes the importance of a culture campus of financial wellness. Their office has made major efforts to share financial education resources with other departments and highlight the benefits of such programming. Thanks to this work, Barstow Community College’s CashCourse account has consistently had some of the highest web engagement of 2017. Packer shared their strategies with the CashCourse team. Read more about Barstow Community College. »

University of the District of Columbia Community College

The University of the District of Columbia Community College offers a tuition-free, for-credit personal finance course. Albert Pearsall III, an assistant professor of business, designed and currently leads this three-credit course at the school, which incorporates CashCourse and culminates with the development of an individual personal finance plan. Pearsall spoke with the CashCourse Team and shared some of his insights on developing a personal finance course. Read more about UDCCC.»

North Park University

Evie Peterson, the career programs manager at North Park University’s Development and Internship Office, surveyed students on her campus on what skills they wanted to learn. They asked for more financial education. Guided by this feedback, Peterson began piloting financial wellness programming in the spring of 2017. Her strategy has been deliberate and flexible, constantly gathering feedback from students and adjusting accordingly. Having secured funds through the CashCourse Reimbursement Program, she was able to offer incentives to students to participate. Her work includes an online component using CashCourse, in-depth workshops, and cross-campus collaborations. Learn more about North Park University. »

Kansas State University 

Jodi Kaus, the director of Powercat Financial, leads an in-depth financial education initiative on the campus of Kansas State University. Powercat Financial, a money management center, features student peer financial counselors and student-led marketing. The program was started by student government leaders. Their tagline is “Financial insight for K-State students, by K-State students,” and their financial literacy program reflects that. Kaus spoke with the CashCourse team about the power of student leadership and cross-campus partnerships. Read more about Kansas State University. »

University of California Davis

Jamila Brown, a student affairs officer and outreach coordinator at University of California Davis, has worked with CashCourse through the Reimbursement Program for the last five cycles. Her hard work and consistent results at the UC Davis campus has resulted in this continued funding from CashCourse. This past Reimbursement Program cycle, she planned seven in-person events which brought in an impressive 624 students in the fall 2016 semester. Brown spoke with CashCourse to discuss her strategies and the importance of cross-campus partnerships in building student engagement. Learn more about UC Davis.»

University of Indianapolis

Money can be a scary topic for students, and the University of Indianapolis’ financial aid office leaned into this fear by creating a personal finance-themed haunted house. This past fall, they held their second annual Financial Literacy Haunted House. This event was wildly popular with students and helped them get comfortable with the financial aid office and diffuse the stress surrounding money management. CashCourse spoke with Lezza Harman-Lineback, the adult client services specialist at the financial aid department, to learn more about this Halloween event. Learn more about the University of Indianapolis. »

Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University’s Student Money Management Center offers a variety of services to its students, including making certified financial counselors available for one-on-one meetings. Lupita Hernandez, a program coordinator at the SMMC, wanted to make sure they were also reaching SHSU’s online students and those who attend classes off the main campus. It was more challenging for these students to visit the SMMC and receive the available resources. To help reach these students, the SHSU center put together a scholarship contest using CashCourse online coursework modules. Learn more about Sam Houston State University.»

Kent State University

Kent State University’s leaders wanted to enrich their financial literacy offerings, so they hired a graduate assistant dedicated solely to the cause. The result is a robust, cross-campus financial education program. Led by University Bursar Stina Olafsdottir, and Alex Sommer, the financial education graduate assistant, their programming continues to evolve and adjust as needed. Learn more about their work at Kent State.»

University of Central Florida

At the University of Central Florida, Paul Gregg’s personal finance class draws students from all across campus. As the assistant chair and director of the finance department at the Dr. Phillips School of Real Estate, Gregg began teaching financial literacy at UCF in 2002. Starting with just two sections as an adjunct, Gregg’s class has grown to about 500 students each term. Gregg estimates he has worked with about 11,000 students since starting. Read more about what makes this personal finance class so popular. Read more about the University of Central Florida. »

Northern Virginia Community College

At Northern Virginia Community College, a system with more than 75,000 students, financial literacy has purposely been coupled with default prevention in a robust, varied initiative. Clint Young, a work-study, financial literacy, and default prevention coordinator, has helped lead these efforts to better empower NOVA students’ financial decision making. Serving a diverse student body, Young employs online activities, in-person presentations, classroom application and financial coaching to teach financial literacy. Read more about Northern Virginia Community College. »

Madonna University

Madonna University, a liberal arts university in Livonia, MI, has been embracing CashCourse and technology. With a robust financial literacy program, they use several different digital platforms to reach students. Student workers have developed Blackboard modules using CashCourse content to seamlessly integrate financial education into their existing learning management system. They have also created financial education videos to reach fellow students. As a recipient of the CashCourse fall 2015 reimbursement program, they were selected as the Best Digital Program for the Fall 2015 cycle. Read more about Madonna University.»

Solano Community College

Solano Community College was selected as CashCourse’s fall 2015 “Best Community College” through our Reimbursement Program. Solano has been a strong CashCourse school since 2014 and has truly created a campus culture of financial literacy. Led by the efforts of Robin Darcangelo and Tracy Gross, they have created cross-campus partnerships and kept financial education fun for students. Read more about Solano Community College. »

Martin Luther College

Martin Luther College has made a clear commitment to financial education for their students. Led by a dedicated financial literacy coordinator, their programming consists of one-on-one meetings, online activities, and information sessions. With a special focus on reaching students at key points in their lives, MLC is creating a campus culture of financial literacy. Learn more about Martin Luther College. »

Allegany College of Maryland

After several years of running a fall workshop series, Tara DeVore wanted to switch things up with financial literacy at Allegany College of Maryland. Finding inspiration from another CashCourse Reimbursement Program recipient, she planned a Cash Carnival for fall 2015. This event combines community partnerships, cross-campus collaboration, and student-led programming. Read more about Allegany College of Maryland. »

The University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming, a spring 2015 recipient of the CashCourse Reimbursement Program, stood out thanks to their student-led financial literacy campaign. Aaron Courtney, the assistant manager of financial services, helped create and empower the Student Financial Wellness Committee. This group of student leaders planned and implemented activities designed to promote financial education. Their innovative approach reflected the unique perspective of a college student and worked to truly engage the campus. Read more about the University of Wyoming. »

The College of Saint Scholastica

The College of Saint Scholastica is approaching student health in an innovative, holistic way. The school’s One Stop Wellness Center has identified six tenants of student overall wellbeing, including financial health. Through One Stop’s website, students can immediately access resources for each different area of student health. CashCourse is part of the school’s financial literacy programming and is used across campus. Read more about the College of Saint Scholastica. »

Wake Forest University

Every April, during National Financial Literacy Month, Wake Forest University hosts events to promote financial literacy. After an outstanding amount of Web traffic for April 2015, we sat down to learn more about their programming. CashCourse is housed in several different departments and administrators are continuously adapting their approach to better meet their student needs. Read more about Wake Forest University. »

Saddleback College

For the 2015 CashCourse Championship, schools competed nationwide to get the most students registered for accounts in the month of March. The final tally revealed Saddleback College to be the overall winner, earning them the $1,000 grand prize. We spoke about their efforts with Javier Williams, a financial aid specialist and the financial literacy ambassador for Saddleback College. Their approach combines cross-campus partnerships, multiple points of outreach, and a passion for financial capability. Read more about Saddleback College. »

The University of North Texas

In the fall 2014 semester, University of North Texas launched a highly successful three-stage program incorporating campus partnerships, student leadership, and customized engagement strategies. This program, called the CashCourse Tour de Money, targeted first year and commuter students with activities specifically designed to reach them. Read more about UNT’s CashCourse Tour de Money. »

The University of Akron

Tanya Lundy, assistant director of student financial aid at the University of Akron, submitted a CashCourse Reimbursement Program application for her campus. The Akron application was approved during the fall 2014 cycle and Lundy’s campaign managed to stand out among a very impressive group of award recipients. For the duration of the cycle, the University of Akron’s CashCourse site had more than 1,500 visitors, with each visitor spending an average of 10 minutes using the site. This strong student engagement was secured through a partnership between Lundy and the university's first year experience course. Read more about the University of Akron. »

Linn-Benton Community College

Linn-Benton Community College, of Linn County, Ore., had nearly 30 percent of its student population visit CashCourse last November. This phenomenal student engagement was reached by embedding CashCourse into two important campus-wide campaigns: Linn-Benton's default management strategy, and its Destination Graduation coursework for first-year students. Read about Linn-Benton Community College. »

University of Kansas

"You have to get students to understand their behavior before you can talk about money. You have to talk about both," explains Leticia Gradington, director of student money management services at the University of Kansas. Gradington and her team are showing students how financial literacy is relevant to them today. Read more about the University of Kansas' successful financial wellness campaign. »

Brescia University

Dolores Kiesler, student support services director at Brescia University in Owensboro, KY, brought creativity and patience to the planning process for her financial literacy programming. By making it as easy as possible to get students on CashCourse, she found they often took it from there. She used out-of-the-box thinking to engage faculty in incorporating CashCourse into the classroom. Read more about how Kiesler's strategic planning process led to a successful financial literacy campaign. »

The College of William and Mary

Exciting things are happening at the College of William and Mary. Amy Sikes, assistant director of financial aid, is capitalizing on an opportunity to engage students with financial literacy by partnering with the First Year Experience office, which incorporates CashCourse into new student programming. Since May, the school's CashCourse site has averaged 700 visitors each month. Read more about the College of William and Mary. »

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

"A lot of students who come to our school are first-generation students. College is their first opportunity, and really it's their first job," says Samuel Lopez, coordinator of Jay Express Services at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. "They might get a paycheck from work study, and they don’t know how to budget or save it; students can end up living from paycheck to paycheck." Read more about John Jay College. »

Itawamba Community College

There are many good times to teach students about personal finance, but building money skills into a first-year experience class can equip students with a few essential lessons as they start college. Marty Cooper, Director of the PACE (Preparing and Advancing for College Excellence) program at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Miss., teaches one such course, and he uses CashCourse as part of his curriculum on personal finance. Read more of Itawamba Community College’s story. »