Delta State University: Cleveland, Miss.

Classification: Four-year public college or university.

Modules Used:

  • Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students.
  • Module 2: Seek out Financial Aid: Funding Resources and Financial Obligations.
  • Module 5: Now That You Are About to Graduate: Taking Control of Your Life.

How Used:

  • Exit counseling.
  • Freshman orientation.
  • Recruitment-staff training.
  • Financial-awareness week.

Program Description: The financial-aid staff at Delta State University aspires to create a shared vision for financial literacy across the campus. Their philosophy is that debt is not solely a financial-aid problem, but rather a problem that the entire campus should be addressing.

The financial-aid staff initially incorporated USA Funds® Life Skills® into their exit-counseling program. Module 5: Now That You Are About to Graduate: Taking Control of Your Life is used extensively in one-on-one exit counseling. After distributing copies of the student skills book for the module, the debt-management counselor engages graduating seniors and graduate students in a discussion of the frequently asked questions from the book. The job interview, budgeting and loan information are popular topics with the students as well.

Subsequently, financial-aid staff approached other campus professionals to explore other opportunities for using USA Funds Life Skills. Orientation leaders and recruiters in the admissions office decided to incorporate relevant information from selected modules into their presentations to new students and prospective students. Information from Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students will be shared with new students during freshman orientation. Credit-card dos and don'ts will be the primary focus of the money-management segment of the orientation program. The financial-aid staff will provide the necessary training for the orientation leaders who will deliver the information.

Module 2: Seek out Financial Aid: Funding Resources and Financial Obligations will be used for recruitment-staff training, which provides information to help staff members assist prospective students with their own searches for scholarships and additional financial assistance.

Information and the interactive CD from Module 1 will be part of a new initiative, financial-awareness week. The financial seminars, conducted by the financial-aid staff, will focus heavily on budgeting and money management. Door prizes and scholarships will encourage students to participate.

Staffing Requirements: The financial-aid staff is responsible for delivering Module 5, as well as ensuring that the orientation leaders and recruitment staff have the information they need for their respective purposes. The staff is responsible for the planning of financial-awareness week, including the delivery of the financial seminars.

Recommendations: The financial-aid staff at DSU found that starting small was the best strategy for launching USA Funds Life Skills on their campus. They also recommend a presentation from a USA Funds consultant. By focusing on the benefits of embracing financial literacy, including improved student retention and lower default rates, the consultant was able to generate broader interest in the program.

Campus Contact:
Christie Rocconi, Financial Aid Counselor
Phone: (662) 846-4670
E-mail: chrcconi@deltastate.edu