A new program to cultivate financial success for students is coming to Augusta Technical College, and is likely to kick off in January.
Augusta Tech President Dr. Jermaine Whirl said that the program curriculum, which is being funded by SRP Federal Credit Union, is still coming together.
This program is called SRP Cougar$mart and will provide a variety of financial training courses at the college.
“As we prepare students to enter the workforce and create sustainable careers, we believe that increasing their financial literacy will better enable them to have lifelong financial wellbeing,” said Whirl in a press release.
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Inside the program
The program includes a financial literacy curriculum which will be embedded in the college’s new “Introduction to College and Computers” course, which is required for first-semester students.
Intro to College and Computers covers topics like computer literacy and studying skills along with time and financial management.
“This is going to take it to another level which is really going to teach students how to budget, how to manage their finances,” said Whirl.
SRP Cougar$mart will also bolster for-credit personal finance courses with extracurricular learning opportunities for enrolled students, Dual Enrollment high school students and participants in Augusta Tech’s Adult Education and Continuing Education programs.
SRP Federal Credit Union frequently assists members facing financial difficulties stemming from decisions made early in adulthood.
“Through Cougar$mart, we will help students not only avoid these costly types of financial mistakes but also teach them how to make the right decisions, which will lead to financial success,” said Eric Jenkins, CEO of SRP.
An expanded partnership
Cougar$mart is the second of three partnership initiatives being launched between SRP and Augusta Tech.
The first initiative is Accelerate Augusta Powered by SRP, a small business incubator that will be housed at 600 Broad Street to help entrepreneurs in the area launch their companies.
The Downtown Development Authority is also a partner in this effort.
Whirl hinted at an upcoming announcement that will be phase three of the SRP and Augusta Tech partnership. While little details are available on this, Whirl said it’s going to have a large impact.
“It’s a pretty significant one, it’s a big one,” he said. “We will have the first in the state of Georgia. We’ll be the first technical college to actually do it.”
This third initiative will be announced early in 2025.
