In today’s economic climate, being fiscally savvy is more important than ever. Barnard College’s Office of Career Development offers a Financial Fluency Program that can help students become more financially literate, but Columbia’s Center for Career Education has nothing that matches it. Columbia and Barnard should work together to make the program available to all undergraduates at the University.
The mission of Barnard’s program is to teach students practical financial skills. It provides workshops for Barnard students in the fall and also offers one-on-one office hours. With these options, Barnard students can learn about a variety of topics, including credit-card management, insurance, taxes, saving plans, apartment hunting, the basics of budgeting and banking, and how to live in New York without going broke. The CCE does not offer a comparable program for Columbia undergraduates, and Barnard’s program is not available to students in any of the other undergraduate schools.
The career offices at Columbia and Barnard should expand the Financial Fluency Program to include all undergraduates. During the recession, it is important for every student to be ready for the financial world that awaits them. Although some campus groups, such as the Columbia Women’s Business Society, already offer similar programs, the administration should also provide resources to help prepare students for the sour economy.
By creating an optional financial education program, Barnard is smartly tempering its liberal-arts curriculum by offering to teach its students practical skills, such as balancing their checkbooks. Such an admirable program should be available to every Columbia undergraduate.
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