The Microcosm of Our Mission

Strategically, this meant a shift away from a correspondence model to an embrace of innovation complete with a new learning management system and a new Personal Pathway™ learning model that puts the student in charge of how, when, and where they learn. COVID-19 will only accelerate the transition from in-person to online education in the future, and it’s a trend The College is out in front of thanks to our investment in the student experience.

This also required us to re-think who we consider our potential student. Typically, our student has been a traditional financial professional, generally a white male. Now, through The American College State Farm® Center for Women in Financial Services and The American College Penn Mutual Center for Veterans Affairs, The College is educating and empowering the profession’s female agents, advisors, and future leaders, as well as our nation’s heroes starting a second career of service.

We are also aiming to increase industry diversity through our African American Scholarship Program and HBCU Student Scholarships, and will continue to promote leadership education and recruiting and retention efforts for Black professionals and other underrepresented groups through The College’s new Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality.

We also continue to see growth outside of financial services with an increasing number of nonprofit executives and fundraisers earning their Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designation. So, as you can read, our students are more diverse – by race, gender, age, and job function.

This sea change is strategic. The College is a financial knowledge institution, not a financial services institution. This opens avenues to spread knowledge to anyone and everyone who wants and needs it.

Case in point, on November 19, I’ll participate in three events: OneAmerica’s® Leading Tomorrow Speaker Series, the first Conference of African American Financial Professionals Breakout Session, and a program with The National Capital Gift Planning Council (NCGPC).

I’m honored to be part of a speaker series that includes experts on generational planning, Alzheimer’s, and IRA distribution strategies. OneAmerica® and its Chief Executive Officer Scott Davison are also passionate believers in The College, and Scott currently serves as the Chairman of our Board of Trustees. I will speak to members of the OneAmerica®  distribution network about racial and economic equality for Black America and the diversity and inclusion initiatives at the forefront of The Center of Economic Empowerment and Equality’s Four Steps Forward plan.

We successfully held a virtual version of The Conference of African American Financial Professionals this past August, and in an effort to continue the fellowship and learning beyond the event, we’re holding the first breakout session with accomplished leaders in politics and artificial intelligence. I’m proud to help introduce Donna Brazile, veteran Democratic political strategist and Fox News contributor, and Ramesh Srinivasan, Professor at UCLA’s Department of Information Studies and Director of UC Digital Cultures Lab. It should be a fantastic post-mortem of the Election and a look at how AI is influencing financial services.

Finally, I’ll speak to the NCGPC about how to harness philanthropy’s power for tangible impact. I’m currently going through our CAP® program myself because I understand the immense value  this knowledge can have on my community and The College’s efforts in this space.

Talk about a day that extenuates The College’s transformative path – conversations with agents and advisors, the Black financial professional community, and today’s nonprofit leaders. I’ll continue to spread the word of our work to benefit society, and help amplify The College’s noble cause to all it helps empower.