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John Chambers College of
Business and Economics
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Our Pillars

The Center is divided into four pillars: banking, insurance, personal finance and investments. These pillars serve as a foundation and create a strong tie to our mission of transforming the state through outreach, teaching, experiential learning and research. 


These pillars serve as a foundation and create strong support of our mission:

  1. to prepare students for careers in finance via curriculum and experiential learning
  2. to serve corporate partners by facilitating access to WVU’s best and brightest students
  3. to provide leading-edge research and consulting for high-performance organizations


Banking

The Center for Financial Literacy and Education hosted the first annual Banking Summit in 2019. The Summit provided banking professionals in the state an opportunity to discuss the current trajectory of the West Virginia banking industry. The event was focused around a panel discussion addressing current banking trends and key issues facing the industry. The discussion was followed by a reception where professionals had the opportunity to network with our top business students and Chambers College faculty members. This event will happen annually in the fall.

Financial Planning

The Center for Financial Literacy and Education houses the Certified Financial Planning program under its pillar of Financial Planning. The Finance Department offers an Area of Emphasis in Wealth Management that has been approved by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. The curriculum provides students with the education requirements needed to sit for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam.The programmatic aspect of the pillar provides valuable educational benefits to those who are seeking their CFP designation.

Insurance

The Center for Financial Literacy and Education hosts an annual Insurance Symposium. The Symposium provides a platform for industry professionals to connect with current insurance students in the Chambers College, and it allows the College to collaborate with alumni who have succeeded in the industry. The event begins with a panel discussion that addresses key issues within the insurance industry and provides students with a glimpse of what a potential career in insurance could hold for them. Following the panel discussion, a networking opportunity is hosted to allow students to connect one-on-one with industry professionals.

Investments

The Chambers College offers all business students access our Bloomberg Lab, with 10 Bloomberg Terminals. Each Bloomberg Terminal provides real-time data on markets, breaking news, in-depth research, and powerful analytics. Students may use the lab while completing their coursework, as well to obtain a certificate for completing the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC), an introductory course that guides students through exercises to obtain a basic understanding of terminal operations.

During the senior year of study, undergraduate finance students have the unique opportunity of participating in the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), which offers students hands on portfolio management experience, experiential learning opportunities, and alumni connections within the industry. The Fund is an actively managed investment portfolio, usually comprised of 16 of the Chambers College’s top undergraduate finance students. Students are responsible for all buy/sell decisions on U.S. Equities throughout the semester. The experience is enhanced with semi-annual trips to New York City to visit the New York Stock Exchange and Financial District.