Quite simply, Financial Literacy is a hot topic. From the homes of our poorest students to the classroom to the halls of Congress, money management, debt, credit and the economy are on everyone’s minds. No-one is untouched by the recession. All can benefit from understanding more about financial matters. Thus, there is a great deal of energy surrounding this theme.
Three years ago a small group of concerned faculty and staff began to meet together to discuss the problems faced, particularly by our students, from a lack of understanding of financial matters; misspending of financial aid, defaulting on loans, lack of class and degree completion were among the issues. In 2010, this group officially became Pensacola State’s Financial Literacy Committee.
We have sought to improve financial literacy on campus and in the community particularly through the promotion of free online financial literacy resources such as CashCourse (www.cashcourse.org/) and the FDIC’s MoneySmart program (http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart) and workshops or presentations.