ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Green Bay-based credit union was honored Tuesday for its partnership with UW-Green Bay, as both entities are trying to expand access to financial literacy courses.
The Universities of Wisconsin awarded Capital Credit Union its Regents Business Partnership Award.
Among the benefits both enjoy, Capital Credit Union helps UW-Green Bay with internship and job opportunities and helps guide program offerings to ensure students are ready for in demand jobs.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman says partnerships like this one are even more important amid dire budget times for UW schools.
“The fact we have these partnerships ongoing I think is tangible evidence of the value we deliver to the economy to the state of Wisconsin.”
Capital Credit Union will also soon be offering free financial literacy classes on campus.
“It’s for students, it’s their parents, it’s our members, it’s our employees, as well as just anyone across the community,” said Capital Credit Union President & CEO Lauri Butz, who is also a 1991 graduate of UW-Green Bay.
Earlier this year, a state report revealed 52 percent of Wisconsin residents are living paycheck to paycheck.
About the same type that statistic surfaced, Capital Credit Union started offering free financial literacy courses to the community at local YMCAs.
“We had full sessions within 24 hours,” said Butz. “We actually ended up offering four repeat sessions of the same one just to get as many people to be able to have them get access to the course.”
Butz says more people will be able to access the courses through the partnership with UWGB.
“It’s really important we take the expertise that is within our region, bring it to the university and help it to make sure we’re teaching our students,” said UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander.
The free courses are in addition to for-credit courses already being offered at UWGB.
Capital Credit Union says about 20 percent of its workforce is from the UW-system, with about 10 percent of that being from UWGB.
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