ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Schwab Advisor Services, in partnership with the Charles Schwab Foundation, will provide a multi-year grant to Winthrop University to prepare business majors for a financial planning career.
The four-year gift will create, develop and launch the Charles Schwab Foundation Professional Development Program. The new initiative will provide scholarships, mentorship, professional development, and additional support for finance students on the financial planning track, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Board Registered Program.
President Edward Serna ’02 said Winthrop is fortunate to collaborate with the Charles Schwab Foundation in a program that will help train the next generation of financial planners. “This program will offer our students career readiness benefits and give them plenty of opportunities to see where they fit into the financial planning profession. We are very appreciative of this generous gift and know that the program it will create will benefit our students for years to come,” he said.
Philip Gibson, a finance professor, and Vanessa Valdez, director of student services in the College of Business Administration, will lead the program.
They will look for students with strong academic potential and those who are traditionally underrepresented in the field, said PN Saksena, dean of the College of Business Administration. “The program will be devoted to helping students become Certified Financial Planners in financial planning and wealth management, especially within the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) space,” Saksena said.
The Charles Schwab Foundation has supported Winthrop’s financial planning program for several years, Gibson said. “They have provided support for Winthrop students to attend the Schwab IMPACT® conference, where they were empowered to network and learn from some of the best and brightest who either work with or support RIAs across the country. We are thankful for the support and excited to take this partnership to the next level,” he added.
The first cohort of 10 students will be notified of their program acceptance at the end of the fall semester. Once students are in the program, they will receive support for up to four years. “Over the next four years, our goal is to have 40 students complete this program,” said Valdez.
“We are honored to partner with Winthrop University to create opportunities that help students overcome financial constraints and guide them in the pursuit of a career in the financial services industry,” said Bernie Clark, head of Schwab Advisor Services. “The Professional Development Program strengthens students, the community, and the future of the financial services profession.”
For more information, contact Philip Gibson at gibsonp@winthrop.edu.
