Your Community College: A Unique Partnership Opportunity

SFE&PD ConferenceOctober 22, 2013

Suzanne Matthews

Today I’ll Talk About:

•Overview of our local partnership, the Westchester Financial Education Alliance•Why community colleges can be valuable partners in delivering financial education to the community.

Westchester Financial Education Alliance Members

Westchester Community College

• Among the largest of the community colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system

• 14,000 enrolled/degree students• 14,100 non-degree students• Student demographics

– Female 53%/Male 47%– Ethnicity:

• White 41%• Hispanic 27%• African American 20%• Asian 4.5%• Other 7.5%

Community College Student Profile

• Students represent a diverse population– Average age: 28– Under 21 39%– Ages 22-39 45% – Age 40+ 15%

• 21% of full-time students employed full time• 50% of full-time students employed part time• 43% are first generation to attend college

Source: American Association of Community Colleges

• Funded by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, we provide a centralized platform for financial learning in Westchester County.

• Provides information, workshops and classes to students, faculty and the greater community to help them better manage their financial lives.

• Acts as a catalyst to involve other organizations in our area.

Gateway Center at Westchester Community College

Our Mission: To create a community of financial learners through workshops, conferences and events that build skills around the basic money management and financial planning issues that confront adults of all ages.

Financial Education Day - March 2012•Free, open to the public– Keynote speaker: Jean Chatzky – 16 Personal finance workshops– One-on-one consultations– Over 250 participants– 19 sponsors & partners

• Access to 50,000 alumni • Access to local business• Broad marketing outreach

• Volunteers• Marketing & Publicity• Ties to many local CBOs

• Financial professionals• Speakers/Presenters• Pro Bono Consultants

• Credit expertise• Speakers/Presenters

• Diverse campus community

• Meeting facilities• Communication• Access to County

government & elected officials.

Fall 2012:• United Way’s 2-1-1 Financial Helpline• Super storm Sandy Emergency HelplineWinter 2013:• Seminars at local library on basics of investing

& retirement planning.Spring 2013:• 2nd Annual Financial Education Day conference

Financial Education Day – March 2013Keynote speaker: Kiran Chetry, former CNN anchor and local media personality.

• 300 Participants

• 26 Workshops with special tracks for:

Women’s Issues

Seniors & Retirees

Veterans/Service Members

Spanish Speakers

• 30 Partners and Sponsors

• Clear mission statement and agreement on program objectives.

• Understanding of what each partner can contribute.

• Members have complementary missions but do not compete as organizations.

• Involvement of senior leaders who can open doors in the community.

• Robust marketing and communication channels.

Thanks and Good Luck!

Suzanne Matthews, DirectorCenter for Financial and Economic Education

Westchester Community CollegeEmail: suzanne.matthews@sunywcc.edu

We are generously funded by a grant from the