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.
• Module 5: Now That You Are About to Graduate: Taking Control of Your Life.

How Used:

• New-student orientation.
• Academic classes.

Program Description: The director of finance recognized USA Funds^® Life Skills^® as an opportunity for the institution to bolster its service to students. He invited a USA Funds consultant to conduct a training workshop for 14 potential presenters, including the academic dean, department heads, some instructors, admissions representatives, high-school representatives and the career-placement director.

The dean took the lead in developing strategies for integrating USA Funds Life Skills into new-student orientation and two academic classes. The dean shows the video from Module 3: Work Hard but Smart: How to Be Successful in School and Graduate on Time to students and parents during new-student orientation as a tie-in for the transition to college life. All new students are required to attend this session, which is offered every quarter. The dean said this multi-media approach provides a nice break from the parade of staff members talking about the topics. It also leads into a discussion of the stresses of juggling school, work and family.

Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students is one of the culminating activities for an academic class, Problem Solving, which is offered during the first term for all students. Students are given the interactive CD to develop their own budget.

Module 5: Now That You Are About to Graduate: Taking Control of Your Life is used for the academic class, Professional Procedures and Portfolio, which is taught during the eighth quarter. For the most part, the topics covered already were included in the curriculum for this class, but USA Funds Life Skills allows the instructors to enhance their presentations and class activities.

An additional application being considered is an economics class that is taught midpoint in the student's program of study. The director of finance and the financial-aid administrators made plans to use excerpts from the modules for high-school parents' night programs and career days. In addition, the dean created an emergency lesson-plan strategy. When classes had to be covered on an emergency basis, a staff member, trained to deliver USA Funds Life Skills, would go into the class and present a topic that was appropriate for the course content.

Staffing Requirements: Instructors deliver Modules 1 and 5, the dean facilitates Module 3, and the director of finance and financial-aid administrators deliver excerpts from all the modules.

Recommendations: School officials recommend contacting your USA Funds representative and arranging a meeting with your senior campus-leadership team. The director of finance advises that administrators should be given a firsthand look at the program to demonstrate that it is flexible, modular and comprehensive. The dean suggests examining the entire program to determine which components fit with your institution's programming. At first glance, many of the materials appear to be geared toward traditional students; however, with some adjustments, the materials can be adapted to any age group. Campus officials also recommend expanding the roster of presenters to make financial literacy a fully integrated initiative.

Campus Contacts:
Mario Todaro, Director of Finance
Laura Carroll, Director
Mike Fairbanks, Dean

Phone: (315) 461-8000

E-mail: mtodaro@itt-tech.edu
lcarroll@itt-tech.edu
mfairbanks@itt-tech.edu