Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising: Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County, Calif.

Classification: Private career school.

Modules Used:

  • Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students.
  • Module 3: Work Hard but Smart: How to Be Successful in School and Graduate on Time.

How Used: Success seminar.

Program Description: The default-prevention coordinator at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising reports that the initial incentive for considering USA Funds® Life Skills® was to maintain the institution's low cohort-default rate. A train-the-trainer workshop introduced the program to financial-aid professionals and student-services advisers from the Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco campuses.

Following the workshop, advisers from the Orange County and San Diego campuses elected to incorporate the program into the success seminar, while the financial-aid staff decided to integrate it into their financial-skills sessions. Eventually the two efforts were combined into a required one-credit seminar that meets once a week for three hours over five weeks. On the Los Angeles campus, two external financial-aid professionals offer a noncredit financial-skills seminar for entering students in three 45-minute sessions.

Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students is used for the financial-skills portions of the success seminar on the Orange County and San Diego campuses and for the financial-skills seminar on the Los Angeles campus. Popular topics with students include budgeting, needs versus wants and getting control of day-to-day spending.

Faculty members and advisers in the student-services area facilitate Module 3: Work Hard but Smart: How to Be Successful in School and Graduate on Time in the success seminar on the Orange County and San Diego campuses.

Staffing Requirements: Financial-aid staff on the Orange County and San Diego campuses and external financial-aid professionals on the Los Angeles campus facilitate Module 1. Faculty and advisers facilitate Module 3.

Recommendations: The default-prevention coordinator recommends getting buy-in from key groups on campus before launching the program. At FIDM, the support of the executive director of student financial services for all campuses and the backing of the faculty, advisers and financial-aid staff were essential for implementing USA Funds Life Skills. Awarding credit for the seminars is recommended.

Campus Contact:
Martha Ramos, Default Prevention Coordinator
Phone: (213) 624-1200, Ext. 4260
E-mail: mramos@fidm.com