College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

“We had been looking for ways to better engage with high school students and this seemed like a great way to do just that,” said Andrew Head about the High School Personal Finance Planning Camp that took place at WKU June 27-30. Head, an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Director of the WKU Center for Financial Success (CFS), worked for two years with the CFS Program Manager Zach Jones, along with department faculty, staff, and Center for Financial Success student coaches to implement this residential summer camp.

Head said, “Kentuckians, unfortunately, tend not to rank very high in various financial literacy/capability studies. Meanwhile, the WKU Department of Finance and the Center for Financial Success have a wealth of knowledge and resources to share on this topic.”  

The camp gave students the opportunity to network with local financial advisors (including a visit to local firms), gain leadership and team-building skills, and more. The camp also included a team-based financial planning case study competition where a financial plan will be developed for prizes. 

“Each day we focus on different topics, including SMART goals, spending plans, bank account selection and management, education financing, debt and credit, investing and retirement plans, taxes, employee benefits selection and more,” Head explained. 

The inaugural group consisted of 14 students from different parts of Kentucky. 

The mission of the WKU Center for Financial Success is to be the primary and coordinating resource in aiding the university and regional community in becoming financially informed and independent by utilizing a combination of faculty expertise, peer-to-peer coaching and applied financial planning education. 

Head expressed, “Our program has grown tremendously since its founding in 2013. We continue to set new records for coaching meetings with students each semester, conducting more than 300 of these in the 2020/21 AY alone.”

To learn more about the Department of Finance, visit https://www.wku.edu/finance/.