WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 18, 2022 — West Liberty University has been approved by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) to provide a new financial planning undergraduate degree program.
“The Gary E. West College of Business is proud to announce this achievement that is so important to our students as they prepare for rewarding careers in the world of finance,” said Dr. Ann Saurbier, dean of the College of Business.
The approval comes after more than a year of planning by WLU’s College of Business faculty, led by department chair Sherry Rocchio, MBA, who is an assistant professor of General Business at WLU.
“CFP Board is pleased to approve the program at West Liberty University as a CFP Board Registered Program,” said Douglas S. King, CFP®, chair of CFP Board’s board of directors.
“As student interest in financial planning as a career continues to grow, we anticipate that this program will contribute significantly to the number of qualified candidates seeking to attain the CFP® certification, the standard of excellence for competent and ethical financial planning,” he said.
WLU business students have many opportunities to learn the ins-and-outs of business, including the WesBanco Investment Club that meets regularly throughout the year and gives students a chance to learn how to invest and work with clients. The new opportunity to earn the CFP certification only strengthens the academics offered at WLU, added Saurbier.
CFP Board is a Washington, D.C.-based independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to benefit the public by granting, upholding and promoting the Certified Financial PlannerTM (CFP®) certification.
“Students who earn the certification are distinguishing themselves among their peers by meeting CFP Board’s education, examination, experience and ethics requirements. Students completing the financial planning program will now have the opportunity to meet the Education requirement for CFP® Certification Examination administered by CFP Board.
CFP Board currently oversee more than 300 programs at more than 200 institutions. CFP Board Registered Programs are financial planning education programs at the college or university level that meet specific criteria for educating individuals who wish to fulfill the education component for obtaining CFP® certification.
Students interested in WLU’s financial planning program should send inquires to Christina DeWitt, MBA, instructor of finance and general business at cmdewitt@westliberty.edu
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest public institution of higher learning and offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, plus a growing number of graduate programs, both online and on campus. For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB) or follow WLU on social media. To view more about WLU, please visit westliberty.edu/youtube.
ABOUT CFP BOARD
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board sets standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CFP® certification – one of the most respected certifications in financial services – so that the public has access to and benefits from competent and ethical financial planning. CFP Board, along with its Center for Financial Planning, is committed to increasing the public’s awareness of CFP® certification and access to a diverse, ethical and competent financial planning workforce. Widely recognized by firms as the standard for financial planning, CFP® certification is held by more than 86,000 people in the United States.