With a financial services industry reducing by one in six advisors due to retirement in the next 10 years (Cerulli, 2015), in order to serve the growing need for financial advice the University of North Florida Coggin College of Business has stepped up and developed a strategic plan to help fill the gap for future financial planners. The UNF Financial Services Program is one of only two CFP® Board Certified degree programs in Florida that meet the education requirements to sit for the CFP® Exam. The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is to benefit the public by granting the CFP® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning.
When UNF Professor Oliver Schnusenberg, PhD, CFP® became Program Director in the Fall of 2016 he wasted no time in aligning the UNF Financial Services Program with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to develop a best in class education program for preparing students interested in the occupation of financial advising, which is ranked number 4 on the list of best business jobs by U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Schnusenberg’s vision for the program is “to be the destination of choice in Florida for students seeking a degree in Financial Services.”
Dr. Schnusenberg’s Mission Statement is “to provide educational, professional and networking opportunities to assist our students in their efforts to achieve personal and professional fulfillment and to recognize the value of the financial planning process as a way to achieve individuals’ goals and dreams.”
To achieve this mission UNF’s Financial Services Program has an Advisory Council consisting of 15 industry professionals. Moreover, the program’s higher level courses are taught by financial planning professionals with decades of industry experience, providing the Program’s students with a direct line to professionals in the field. UNF’s FPA Student Chapter allows students further access to a variety of speakers throughout the academic year, and students always have access to mentors via a mentoring experience. Current endeavors include the development of a financial planning clinic and an internship program
To learn more about the UNF Financial Services Program contact Dr. Oliver Schnusenberg at (904) 982-6070 or by email at [email protected] or visit https://www.unf.edu/coggin/academics/Financial_Services_Program/Tabs.aspx.