Phoebe Reese Lewis
Leadership Program
January 2014
2
Table of Contents
WFI RE-BRANDING
5
GROUP 1: FINANCIAL LITERACY/NON-CREDIT PROGRAMMING
7
NEW COURSE ADDITIONS
FEEDBACK
PHYSICAL ADVERTISING
PHYSICAL CENTER
8
10
14
17
GROUP 2: ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMMING
21
PROGRAMMING: BUILDING A CULTURE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON CAMPUS
SOCIAL MEDIA
WEBSITE RECOMMENDATIONS
ALUMNAE RELATIONS
22
25
26
29
GROUP 3: EXTERNAL COMPARISONS AND MODELS
33
COLLABORATING WITH OTHER CENTERS
ORGANIZATION OF INTERNS
WOMEN AND FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
34
36
38
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
42
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4
WFI Re-Branding
The current WFI “History” and “Purpose” statements located on the WFI website
have not been recently updated to include the center’s new focus on
entrepreneurship. Additionally, the current WFI tagline does not reflect the
accessibility of WFI programming for students of all majors. Suggested updates are
below:
Our History:
Smith College launched the WFI program in fall 2001 to ensure that Smith students
acquire the skills to understand and manage finances in their personal, professional,
family and community lives. By transitioning from a program to a permanent Center
in spring 2011, Smith recognizes financial literacy as vital to achieving leadership of
all kinds in today's complex world. In response to our students’ evolving interests,
WFI expanded its programming to include workshops and competitions to promote
entrepreneurial thinking on campus.
Our Purpose:
The center aims to enable Smith students to manage their own financial wellbeing
as well as to contribute to that of their families and communities. In one decade, WFI
has made significant progress in meeting its original goals to:
• increase awareness of the importance of financial literacy among students at
Smith
• give Smith students the knowledge and skills to tackle life's financial
decisions
• provide hands-on opportunities for Smith students to practice and apply
entrepreneurial skills
• reach out to alumnae and other professional women who can enhance
students' financial education and entrepreneurial endeavors
Tagline:
“Financial independence is true independence”
Additional Suggestions:
• “Grow. Innovate. Impact.”
• “Confidence. Independence. Empowerment.”
• “Cultivate your financial future/regular future”
• “Take the fear out of finance”
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6
Group 1: Financial Literacy/Non-Credit Programming
Group members:
Karen Chau ‘16
Mingjia Chen ‘15
Elizabeth Frost ‘15
Yuxin Li ‘15J
Team Leader:
Meri Hovermann, Alumnae Affairs, Asst. Director of Clubs, and Undergrad
Programming
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While looking at the WFI’s current programming regarding financial literacy, several gaps were
identified where more students could be involved in the programming activities. Other than
improving programming, suggestions
suggestions are also giving in the following pages to promote the
center and cater to the needs of more students.
New Course Additions
In looking at new course additions, we saw the opportunity to draw in more non
non-economics
students. Currently, the WFI has been very
very successful with the “Backpack to Briefcase” lecture
held during senior week, which we seek to expand. We also recommend holding one-day
one
events
and workshops that could help the WFI gain exposure across campus, as well as fulfilling some
of the student’s desire for expanded curriculum.
The suggestions are detailed as follows:
•
Expand the “Backpack to Briefcase” → Provide a short, day-long
long lecture at beginning of
year.
•
Provide more one-day,
day, special guest speakers to spread awareness about WFI.
WFI
o Eg. Have alums with different careers visit to speak about their personal
experiences of the risks of not having financial literacy → reaches out to more
than just economics majors and shows the importance of financial literacy
Potential opportunity to partner with the Wurtele Center
o Eg. Eleanor Blayney, Mount Holyoke alumna & author of “Women’s Worth:
W
Finding Your Financial Confidence”.
8
•
Add a 2-day
day “Crash Course in Accounting” which would provide basic accounting skills to
students.
•
Add a small workshop on more advanced financial concepts for those more interested in
business and finance
inance specifically.
specifically
Differentiating Classes Between Difficulty Levels
While speaking with students across campus, we discovered that many students either felt that
they did not relate to the courses or believed the courses would be too difficult. We believe
beli
grouping the classes into different levels of difficulty could solve this
this,, making them less
intimidating to certain students. We also recommend a change in the name of some of the
courses. In marketing to students, the name of the course needs to speak to the students as a
real world, interesting course that relates directly to them.
•
Clarify “Beginner” and Introduce New “Intermediate” Classes
“Principles of Investing” aka a “Beginner” Course
o
Introduce a 2-day
2 day “Crash Course in Accounting” as an “Intermediate”
“Interme
Course
o
Introduce a short workshop on more difficult financial concepts as an
“Advanced” Course.
Course. Instructors can be alumna volunteers, or current students
who have had experience in the finance sector.
Basic Investing
Accounting
Adv.
o
Int.
Beg.
•
Financial Concepts
/ Models
Use more open, “student language” course names that speak to students.
students Technical
jargon has the tendency to throw students off.
o
Eg. “Principles of Investing” → “Get Rich Quick: How to Play the Stock Market”
OR “Be a Wall Street Survivor: 8 Things You Need to Know Now!”
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Feedback
For WFI’s lecture lunch series, it would be helpful to have a feedback system, so students can
communicate
icate their thoughts about the topics taught, logistics of the lecture, and propose
recommendations. There are two ways to implement the survey:
•
Short comment cards given out every class
•
Longer surveys emailed to all students (campus
(campus-wide)
Comment Cards
For
or the comment cards, the intended audience is the students who attend the lecture lunch
series. The questions should be about the current talk. The intern attending the talks should
leave a pile of the comment cards on a table. There should also be a sign/the
sign/the intern can inform
students that they should take one and fill out during the talk. At the end of the talk, students
can drop off the comment cards into a box/envelope. The date and topic of the talk that each
set of comment cards pertains to has to be clearly indicated to accurately access the individual
talks’ effectiveness.
Sample comment card
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Surveys
For the longer surveys, the intended audience is the entire Smith campus. The purpose of these
surveys is to evaluate WFI’s programs for financial literacy, mainly the lecture lunch series and
WFI’s office space. Through the survey, WFI can understand why some students have not taken
advantage of WFI’s resources. WFI can also learn about its impact on students who have
attended their programs. These surveys can be emailed at the end of the fall semester or at the
beginning of the Spring semester. As students are often saturated with work during the end of a
semester, emailing them a survey towards the beginning of a semester might have higher
participation rates.
Possible open-ended questions include:
1. What WFI programs are you aware of?
•
This allows WFI to address programs that students are unaware of.
2. What are some reasons why you have not participated in WFI’s lecture lunch series?
•
Based on the responses, WFI can take action to change its current implementation of
the programs and to advertise using certain methods as described in the Advertising
sections.
3. How has WFI helped you?
•
Responses to this question will help WFI reflect upon its mission and whether their goals
are met.
4. What other programs can WFI offer you?
•
This allows WFI to plan new programs and to see if there is a recurring type of workshop
that students are interested in.
5. Have you visited WFI’s office and do you like the space? If not, do you have any suggestions?
•
Students’ input can help the WFI is improving their space for students to utilize WFI’s
resources.
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Possible rating questions include:
1. Rate the following topics according to your level of understanding.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Budgeting
Retirement plans
Debt
Taxes
Mortgage
Compound interest
Stocks
Bonds
Mutual funds
Hedge funds
Index funds
2. Rate the following topics according to your level of interest in learning more about them.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Budgeting
Retirement plans
Debt
Taxes
Mortgage
Compound interest
Stocks
Bonds
Mutual funds
Hedge funds
Index funds
The surveys should also ask students about their major, class year, whether they are first
generation college students and the number of times they have attended a WFI-sponsored
program this year. For questions that only pertain to students who have not attended any
events, add a setting to the survey to allow students to skip questions and vice versa for
questions that can only be answered by students who have attended WFI’s events. A second
option is to create two surveys and to include both links in the same email, similar to what the
Spinelli Center for Quantitative Learning does.
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Email from Spinelli Center
Highlights
The circled parts above are excellent components to have in WFI’s ema
emailil to the student body.
Emphasize the short amount of time it will take to complete the survey
Inform students that even those who have never attended a WFI event are welcome to
take the survey
Add a raffle/prize to completing the survey to increase participation
Clearly distinguish between the two surveys and their intended audience.
Next Step
In order to send out an all campus email, WFI should work with the Office of Institutional
Research, which helps departments/organizations at Smith design their
their survey and collect
survey results.
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Physical Advertising
Along with the use of social media and emails to advertise events and improve the presence of
WFI among students, traditional or physical advertising methods will help the center reach more
students who do not use social media regularly or prefer receiving information through physical
sources, and have more interaction with the student body.
One important method is to have an “Open House” social event during first year orientation
that targets new students. The center can serve pizzas and ice cream where students can be
introduced to the programs and services provided by WFI. This will improve the presence of WFI
among incoming students.
Another way to give new students a good sense of what WFI does is to offer workshops during
first year orientation programs:
•
Workshops that focus on different topics, such as:
o Opening new bank accounts
o Debit/Credit cards, comparisons of credit cards among different banks that are
suitable for college students
o
o
Budgeting for life in college (Interactive)
Student loans, work-study options, tax-filing
•
The workshop could also invite a guest speaker to speak from her own experience about
how important it is for women to be financially independent
•
Host workshops during Bridge Program. Bridge welcomes students of all racial
backgrounds who demonstrate a commitment to creating and maintaining culturally
inclusive communities.
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•
Host workshop during ISP (International Students Pre-Orientation). Topics may include
applying for credit cards, filing taxes, etc.
Another effective way of advertising during first year orientation is to:
•
Include pamphlets/handouts (similar to the passport by Wurtele Center for Work and
Life) into first year students’ orientation packets. The pamphlet can:
o Ask students to pick up accessories (keychains, folders, business card holders,
fridge magnets, etc) so that students actually visit the center
o Advertise the “open house” event
o Highlight the resources and programs WFI offers (where and when)
o Provide tips on managing personal finances during college
Some other activities WFI can engage in are:
•
Attend major presentations to advertise WFI programs/resources/concentration
•
Attend Sophomore Reboot. Sophomore Reboot is a two day lunch time event where
students can connect with other students and reflect on where they are now and where
they want to go next.
o Advertise the resources and services of WFI during the lunchtime fair
House tea is a long-standing tradition at Smith, and it is a great opportunity for WFI to interact
with students in a friendly and relaxing environment.
•
Student interns or members of the Student Advisory Committee can give a short talk on
WFI such as its programs, resources, and the concentration.
•
Play a video lecture of Principles of Investing/Financing Life
•
Distribute pamphlets of WFI which may include:
o The resources and programs WFI offers (where and when)
o Tips on managing personal finances during college
•
Contact Katie Lipp to see if it’s possible to have faculty/interns from WFI present at
Mentoring teas (monthly teas for all members of the Mentoring Community in STEM
fields)
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Some additional improvements in physical advertising are:
•
Encourage students to ask questions for WFI’s Q&A column:
o Bulletin board to advertise the Sophian column
o Have a questions box
o Include a submission form on WFI’s website
•
Physical flyers, chalking
•
Banners in the CC
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Physical Center
Our group identified the main reasons why the WFI was not attracting many walk-in students as
because the center has low visibility on campus, and that the interior is not very conducive to
students merely wishing to look around and browse through materials.
Following are some suggestions on creating a more visible and welcome space for all students.
Improving Visibility of the Center
Right now, the WFI office is only distinguished by a small plaque on the pillar outside the center,
as well as a white board that is put out during the semester to advertise upcoming events.
Because the events are not necessarily held in the center, students might not realize the
existence of the center in that space. Additionally, the Neilson arch is generally a dark space so
offices and bulletins might not be noticed easily. Students mostly pass by the arch on the way to
and from classes. Therefore, they might be in a rush to notice their surroundings. The center
also has a notice board with various information situated outside the door, but since most
students do not walk up to the board to intentionally look at it, a lot of the information is not
being disseminated as wished.
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In order to draw more students into the center and let them discover the various resources that
the center offers, several things can be done:
•
Having an eye-catching banner above the office door
•
Making a sign right outside the arch where daylight hits in order to increase visibility
•
Having a short description of the resources offered in the WFI office on the whiteboard
outside or notice board
•
Making the information on the notice board of a larger font and to use photos/pictures
so it is more visible to students walking by
•
Advertising free candy and coffee to lure students into the center
•
Putting up a letter-box on the pillar where the plaque is, and putting handouts inside
detailing WFI programming so that students can grab one on their way to class
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Office interior
The reception room has a large table with a bowl of candy in the middle, a mini-library of books
relating to financial literacy and entrepreneurship to the right, and a shelf for current
publications on the left. The center has another room further inside the office that is mainly
used for conferences and meetings with a couch as well as coffee machine. While the resources
available are plenty to draw students in, the visuals could be improved to make the center look
more inviting at first glance.
Books displayed closely together
hinders student interest
Coffee machine placed in inner
room, thus not visible to most
students
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The interior could be made more inviting by:
•
Moving the coffee machine and couch to the reception area
•
Arranging books such that there are more breaks between the books to make it seem
less intimidating (those breaks can be used for special display of certain books)
•
Removing the plants from the side table so that it can be used for social purposes
•
Placing a selection of current periodicals for browsing on the side or main table
•
Putting up wall displays such as pictures or wall-art
(and if resources allow):
•
Changing the table and chairs in the reception area to a big coffee table and couches to
make it more comfortable for reading
Collaboration with Neilson Library
Regarding the books in the WFI library, visibility can be increased by having a selection of them
be on display in Neilson library, with a sign that directs students to the WFI office for a wider
selection of books on relevant topics.
Eye-catching books to capture
student attention
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Group 2: Entrepreneurship Programming
Group members:
Ellen Pizzuto ‘14
Wendy Ramirez ‘16
Sunny Zeng ‘14
Team Leader:
Patti Thornton, Assistant Director, Development
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Our goal is to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship on campus. It doesn’t mean that every
Smithie would graduate with a business start-up plan in their heads. Rather, we want to
enhance a culture that encourages autonomy, risk-taking, self-ownership, outside-of-the-box
thinking, networking and speaking out for one’s passion. We recognize that these are essential
skills that can turn a good job into a great career in the future.
Programming: Building a Culture of Entrepreneurship on Campus
To invite you into our thought process, here are our central ideas:
•
•
•
•
Rebranding: Brand WFI events by the skills students will take away, such as public
speaking and networking, instead of the term “entrepreneurship”.
Alumnae Connection: Create opportunities that connect alumnae entrepreneurs with
current students to bridge the cognitive gap between entrepreneur activity and college
life.
Inclusivity: Appeal to students with different levels of exposure to entrepreneurship
Rethinking Marketing: Advertise entrepreneur activities through diverse channels.
Rebranding
Emphasis on career and skills
•
Choice of marketing words
o Emphasize that these events help students develop good future careers, instead
of developing business plans. Consider that most students on campus are
interested in finding a good internship or job, career should be our buzz word.
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o
Emphasize that WFI is here to help students develop skills that they might not
currently have and that is ok. Take fear and intimidation out of
entrepreneurship.
•
Make each Draper “warm-up” events more accessible
o Name each entry-level event by the specific skill they help to develop instead of
Draper Business Plan Development Workshop
•
The power of stories
o Share personal stories from past Draper participants, J-term students and
Elevator Pitcher on WFI website: what does entrepreneurship mean to them
personally? What did they gain from the experience?
o Use stories that students relate to, such as finding alumnae who have Draper
participants’ dream jobs to become their mentors
•
Tap into students interested in public speaking
o Advertise to students involved in IDP 100 Art of Speaking course about Elevator
Pitch contest as an opportunity for them to practice
•
Follow-up surveys for each WFI event
o Be customer-oriented. Survey each student participating in Draper competition,
J-term courses, Elevator Pitch etc. on what they learn from it in the hope of
better advertising these events in the future.
Alumnae Connection
Connect with students’ future career
•
•
•
Invite alumnae entrepreneurs for networking events, such as lunch talks, teas or Skype
meetings to share their career path with students studying in their fields of expertise
o It is strongly advised to extend this model to various departments, such as
computer science, engineering, sociology, anthropology so that students in
these fields would realize that entrepreneurship is in fact not limited to
economics or finance, it is highly relevant to them as well.
Invite alumnae speakers to bridge the gap between liberal arts and entrepreneurship
o Give students opportunities to have open conversations with these alumnae
before or after the talk.
See Alumnae Relations for further details.
Inclusivity
Appeal to different interests
•
Different levels of interest is great
o Not every student involved in Draper would end up pitching for the final
competition. Publicize that students are welcome to participate in the entrylevel events with no sting attached. There are two major advantages to this
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approach: first, as students learn more along the way, they might bite into the
carrot and advance to the final competition; second, any exposure to
entrepreneurship is better than none.
•
Tap into concentrations
o Advertise to students involved in Community Service and Social Justice
Concentration, Women’s Education Concentration etc. about the power of
entrepreneurship to bring about social changes
Rethinking Marketing
Voicing WFI through diverse channels
•
Collaborate with Wurtele Center
o Advertise Major WFI events on their Student Passport
o Share Wurtele Center’s email lists
•
Word of mouth
o Ask those already involved to spread the word, such as inviting past J-term
entrepreneurship students to an invite-only lunch event and they must bring a
friend
o Promote student interns, past J-term students and potentially student advisors
to house tea in order to spread the word
•
Advertise at the get-go
o Select a charismatic speaker to advertise what WFI can offer to incoming
students at orientation, including international student orientation
o Host cozy and friendly open house events during orientation. Given that all
parents want their daughters to have a strong financial sense; WFI should also
host open house during parent’s weekend.
•
Student Clubs
o Collaborate with BWSC, SmiThrift, and Investment Club to advertise WFI events.
Could potentially market through their chalking, email list, word of mouth etc.
•
Web presence
o Upload a fun and short “this is what we do at WFI” video on WFI website. This
video could also appear on the Grecourt Gate.
o For detailed advices on social media, please refer to social media section
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Social Media
Social media is an effective way to connect with a broad range of students and build a
reputation for the Center for Women and Financial Independence (WFI) without incurring the
costs of paper advertisement. Frequency and content value are especially important in engaging
students and promoting the organization. The WFI center has created a Facebook and Twitter
page, but does not utilize it as frequently as it should. The center could do more to provide
relevant content at a rate that does not become burdensome to the employee or to the people
who follow WFI’s social media.
The following recommendations are based on student and administration input:
Facebook and Twitter:
• Post with pictures
• Change profile picture and keep it consistent across both pages (put a friendly face to
the center)
•
Change cover photo to a photo of staff, interns, students, specific event, etc.
•
Put links to the Business Women of Smith College (BWSC), Investment Club, and
SmiThrift’s Facebook pages (and Twitter if applicable)
•
Change “About Me” section to something more concrete and add Tag Line
•
Enable automatic sharing between Twitter and Facebook to limit manpower issues
•
Link Savvy Smithie to Facebook and Twitter page
•
Post/Tweet at least once daily and up to three times per day
Blog/Tumblr:
• Create a Tumblr
o Official name: Smith College Center for Women and Financial Independence
o Username: SmithWFI
•
This option is ideal for longer posts and more in depth articles
o If WFI thinks that Twitter isn’t the best social media outlet for longer posts,
blogging could definitely replace it
Other:
•
Plan to reevaluate social media in 3 years
o It’s important to be up to date on the current most popular social media site(s)
o
We believe that 3 years gives WFI enough time to see any changes in social
media trends
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Website Recommendations
The ideal website would be attractive, easy to navigate, and easy to find. Some of the Smith
Centers, such as the Wurtele Center for Work and Life, the Poetry Center, and the Lewis Global
Studies Center, have great websites for reference.
Main Page
Another way to unclutter the main page is to move the paragraph to the “About the Center”
section and to have several larger pictures that cycle instead of four small, static pictures. They
will catch the students’ eyes and encourage them to explore the website. Additionally, a variety
of pictures, not just those that involve the stock market, will avoid intimidating non-Economics
majors.
About the Center Section
Include a video to show what WFI does and why it’s important in order to support the other
statements in a more visual, dynamic way. A link to this video on the main page will help viewers
to find it.
Social Media Connections
Including a rotating Twitter feed on WFI’s main page would give energy to the site and show
WFI’s activity. Additionally, add a link to Twitter next to the link to Facebook on the main page.
Personal Stories
Short interviews with previous winners and participants in WFI’s programming and competition
will increase awareness and lower misconceptions about what WFI really does. An interview
with the past year’s winner of the Draper Business Plan Competition will help to depict the
purpose and scope of the competition. Additionally, energetic, short testimonials from students
who have participated in any of WFI’s programming will help to explain what WFI does and why
it’s important.
Updated Descriptions of the Financing Life Classes
Upbeat and encouraging language will make the classes more appealing to non-Economics
majors. Some examples of possible descriptions are:
Basic Concepts
Learn the basic tools to understand your personal finances! By the end of the class you will
understand these concepts: assets; liabilities; net worth; real versus nominal value; time value
of money.
Managing Debt
Don’t let debt get you down! Learn basic budgeting skills, the dangers of credit card debt, and
how to navigate your student loans.
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Links to the Toolbox Section
Including a link, for example, on the Entrepreneurship section to the Entrepreneurship Toolbox
will help users to locate helpful information.
Advertise the Alumnae Relations Website to Students
One of the most important aspects of entrepreneurship is networking, and a great resource for
that is the Alumnae Relations. It is currently a related link under “Alumnae Outreach” on the
website, but placing it as a visible resource for students would encourage them to take
advantage of it.
Link: www.alumnae.smith.edu
Calendar of Events
This will help to organize the dates of upcoming events in one location.
Previous Year’s Information and Timeline as Reference
Posting copies of the previous year’s rules, deadlines, and any other relevant information that is
being updated will help students understand what the Draper Business Plan Competition is, how
it works, and when it happens before the final versions are posted.
Specify Topics of Each Draper Business Plan Competition Workshops
Indicating which skill each workshop will work on will make starting the process much less
intimidating for newcomers. Additionally, creating a layout for the workshops similar to that of
the “Financing Life” descriptions would make them even more accessible.
Color
Incorporate color into the background instead of white space to make website easier on
viewers’ eyes.
Sidebar Links
Streamlining the sidebar links allows users to find information more easily. The list below is a
possible example, and the tabbed items would merge under the previous sidebar link. For
example, the links that are currently under the Investing sidebar would move to the Financial
Literacy page.
• Center for Women and Financial Independence HOME
• About the Center
• Faculty & Staff
• Financial Literacy
o Investing
• Entrepreneurship
• Draper Business Plan Competition
• Research
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•
•
•
•
•
For Students
o Course Offerings
Accounting
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
For Alumnae
Contact Us
Toolbox
Global Financial Institutions Concentration HOME
Investment Club Video to Investment Club Page
The video that talks about the Investment Club is placed under “About the Center” and then
further under the “Support” link. This video would be a great draw for the club if it were on its
page under “Student Involvement” and the “Smith College Investment Club.
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Alumnae Relations
Further connecting WFI with Smith alumnae will provide connections, inspiration, and guidance
for current students.
Alumnae Speakers
Having alumnae speakers will help current students to see how what they are learning at Smith
will serve them in the future. It will also help them to practice networking, especially if there is,
for example, an open conversation with the alumna before the event. Working with the Office
of Alumnae Relations and the Development office to identify potential and interesting alumnae
speakers will simplify the search process. Additionally, the Office of Alumnae Relations has funds
that can help to alleviate the cost of hosting alumnae speakers on campus.
“Nontraditional” Entrepreneurs
One of WFI’s goals is to expand its base of students who participate in its programming, and
hosting events with people who utilize many of the same skills as traditional entrepreneurs in a
different field would provide examples for how those skills can be applied. One way for WFI to
identify potential alumnae for this is to read the Alumnae Lives section in the Alumnae
Quarterly. These “nontraditional” entrepreneurs could give lectures, hold lunch talks, or meet
with students over Skype as mentors. Furthermore, WFI could coordinate with various
departments to advertise events that would hold special interest to their students. For example,
an email to Computer Science majors would lead to more effective advertising for a speaker in
the field of Information Technology.
Advertising WFI and its Programming to Alumnae
The Smith Quarterly offers at-cost advertising space in every issue. They offer various sizes, and
each issue reaches approximately 50,000 alumnae. Many Smith organizations, including the Art
Museum, consistently purchase an advertisement. A quarter-page advertisement, such as the
two shown below, cost $300, and the issues are released quarterly.
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Alumnae Quarterly Picture: Winter 2013-2014. Pg 79. http://saqonline.smith.edu/
Another option is to include a blurb in the alumnae newsletter, Notes from Paradise, that is
released approximately every six weeks. The Admissions Office sometimes uses this to recruit
high school teachers to spread the word about Smith to their students, as shown below. A
similar example for WFI is to ask for anyone who has or knows someone who has an
entrepreneurial story to tell with a “Calling all Entrepreneurs” blurb.
Notes from Paradise: September 2013. http://alumnae.smith.edu/enews/enews-9-2013.php
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WFI’s Resources for Alumnae
Uploading the videos of Professor Randy Bartlett’s lectures in the “Financing Life” course to
complete the webinar project will allow access to crucial information on how to manage
personal finances to both alumnae and current students. This will be especially helpful for
recent alumnae who are finding themselves in the working world for the first time. Additionally,
publishing copies of the handouts used in “Financing Life” on the website will support the
webinars and provide a succinct summary of their main points.
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Group 3: External comparisons and models
Group members:
Quynh Nguyen ‘14
Gretchen Streett ‘15
Laura Wolfe ‘15
Xinxin Zhou ‘14
Mentor:
Sarah Craig, Director of Smith Non-Degree Programs
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Our goal is to find other centers on campus that overlap with WFI in their programming or
mission. We provide specific ways that the centers can collaborate to mutually expand their
audiences and reduce strain on financial and administrative resources.
Collaborating with Other Centers
WFI is a self-sufficient center on campus that executes all of its own programming. Through
collaboration with other centers, WFI could lessen the strain on its own administrative staff and
reach a larger audience at Smith College and beyond.
Wurtele Center for Work and Life
Jessica Bacal, Director of Wurtele Center
The Wurtele Center aims to provide life skills that are not traditionally taught in academic
courses to students at Smith. It touches on essential topics such as leadership, health, work, and
reflection (i.e., the relationship between practical and personal experiences). As a center
designed to connect students to other organizations and centers, the Wurtele Center gives
students information about funding resources and links students to departments for funding.
The Wurtele Center is open to collaborating with other centers on campus through advertising
and financial support.
The Wurtele Center can help WFI broaden their audience by utilizing their existing methods.
Jessica Bacal and Ally Einbinder offered to advertise WFI’s events in their “Passport to Smith”
booklet, which is distributed to house presidents and passed along to students at the beginning
of each semester. Additionally they offered to financially support WFI’s events by alleviating the
costs of guest speakers and food. We recommend a monthly check in meeting between WFI and
the Wurtele Center to increase communication and prevent the overlap of similar events. At
these meetings, the two centers can discuss the logistics of executing WFI events with the
Wurtele Center’s support. Outside of these meetings, WFI and the Wurtele Center can
“retweet” and repost each other’s events, articles, and updates in order to increase readership
amongst their individual social media pages and show solidarity between the two centers.
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The Lazarus Center for Career Development
Stacie Hagenbaugh, Director of the Lazarus Center for Career Development
Areas of current collaboration between the Lazarus Center and WFI include career trips to
Boston and New York, the Draper Business Competition, identifying alumnae for career
mentoring, and advertising recruiting events to WFI.
The Lazarus Center can help WFI promote the awareness of financial literacy across campus
through alumnae. The Lazarus Center, in conjunction with the Alumnae Association and
Development, can identify alumnae in business related fields to talk about the importance of
learning financial literacy for women in early adulthood.
Learning from the Lazarus Center, WFI could provide access to online resources for recent
graduates who are seeking information about financial literacy, business, and entrepreneurship
skills. On the Lazarus Center “For Alumnae” page they can add a side tab called “More
Resources on Center for Women and Financial Independence”:
http://www.smith.edu/lazaruscenter/alumnae.php
The tab can link to a new page where three sections of information are present: 1) link to the
Center for Women and Financial Independence main page, 2) links of videos of the
entrepreneurship J-term class, lunch and learns talks, guest talks, etc., and 3) a link to the
professional development webinars run by Colleen Delvecchio in the Alumnae Engagement
Office.
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Organization of Interns
WFI currently has 8 interns who each work between two and six hours per week. WFI staff must
devote time and energy to both train these interns and come up with tasks for them that do not
require a long-term commitment, as many interns only come in once or twice per week. We
recommend consolidating the number of interns and increasing the number of hours that each
intern works. This can happen by instituting a minimum number of hours on the job description
in JobX. If an intern can work 6 hours per week one semester, but can only commit to 2 hours
per week the next semester, it would be more productive to relieve them of their administrative
duties than to devote the effort to manage them for an entire semester. Currently, WFI receives
many applications from students that they do not have the funding or the administrative
capacity to hire as interns. If a minimum number of hours was instituted, WFI would still be able
to find enough interns who could commit to those hours because it has been stated that there is
a lot of interest in becoming an intern at WFI.
Social Media Intern
An intern dedicated to maintaining the social media pages providing a clear and consistent voice
that speaks to students on behalf of WFI. This student would work in the office on social media
and other projects as needed for WFI’s staff. They would be required to work seven selfscheduled hours per week (it is recommended that they work one hour per day) in or out of the
office to research and create posts that are captivating and relevant to the student body. The
intern will be required to physically work in the WFI office at least three one hour-long shifts a
week to check in with administrative staff and other interns. Posts will be pre-written by this
intern, and then approved and posted by the administrative staff. Other interns can provide
suggestions and potential posts, but this intern would edit everything to have the same voice
and submit the final drafts to the administrative staff for review and posting.
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Example JobX Job Description:
Must be able to work at least seven self scheduled hours per week, with at least one hour per
week during business hours at the WFI office. Student will post as WFI on Twitter, Facebook,
and Tumblr, once their drafted posts have been approved by administrative staff.
Responsibilities include:
1. Creating a Google Doc of potential tweets
a. At least 3 per day on
i. events
ii. relevant articles/upcoming books/stories
iii. “re-tweets”
b. Approved tweets are highlighted by administrative staff
2. Posted/ unapproved tweets are removed from the Google Doc
3. Queue of Facebook and Tumblr updates that can be posted throughout the week by
intern or administrators
a. Intern creates a queue at least two days in advance
b. 4 posts per day (automatically every 5 hours)
c. Similar information as tweets but in a longer form
4. Create monthly student profiles highlighting impact of WFI on individuals
Requirements:
Strong working knowledge of social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr). Must have a
clear and professional writing style that will relate to students, alumnae, faculty, and staff. Must
be responsible, self-directed, and punctual. All majors welcome.
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Women and Financial Independence Student Advisory Committee
Model:
Lewis Global Center Student Advisory Committee (G-SAC)
Purpose:
WFI-SAC will serve as a liaison between the center and the Smith College student body: advise
and support the center on student outreach and engagement.
Goals:
•
•
•
Inform the center on students’ specific interests and needs regarding financial literacy
and entrepreneurship, students’ feedback on the center, and the effectiveness and
relevance of its programs and activities on campus.
Assist in the development of the center’s outreach strategy.
Propose and implement approved activities aimed at engaging wider Smith community
in understanding financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
Example: Organizing Money-Tea/ Financial-Tea. Members of WFI-SAC will go to house teas to
talk about one topic of financial literacy that is of interests to students and promote about WFI
and its activities.
Result: disseminate the information about WFI to wider audience on campus and increase
awareness about the importance of financial literacy.
Responsibilities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Meet every other week with the Associate Director and Administrative Assistant.
Meet with the center Director at least once per semester.
Gather feedback from Smith community regarding the center, its programs and
activities.
Define specific semester goals
Implement plans to meet those goals.
Make annual reports: Evaluate outcomes through feedback and surveys and make
recommendations for the future.
Disseminate information regularly and in a timely fashion to the student body about the
center’s programming
Represent WFI at student events, such as Student Activities Fair, House Teas, etc..
Organization of the WFI-SAC:
Comprise of 10 or less students selected through application process, which will increase the
legitimacy of the committee as well as increase the commitment of the students.
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Criteria: Members of the WFI-SAC
WFI
should:
•
•
Have had some experience with WFI or financial literacy and entrepreneurship
Can commit to their responsibilities as members of WFI-SAC,, such as the bi-weekly
bi
meetings and house/ organization teas
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Sample Application
Women and Financial Independence Student Advisory Committee Application
Purpose:
WFI-SAC will serve as a liaison between the center and the Smith College student body: advise
and support the center on student outreach and engagement.
Goals:
•
•
•
Inform the center on students’ specific interests and needs regarding financial literacy
and entrepreneurship, students’ feedback on the center, and the effectiveness and
relevance of its programs and activities on campus.
Assist in the development of the center’s outreach strategy.
Propose and implement approved activities aimed at engaging wider Smith community
in understanding financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
Responsibilities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Meet every other week with the Associate Director and Administrative Assistant.
Meet with the center Director at least once per semester.
Gather feedback from Smith community regarding the center, its programs and
activities.
Define specific semester goals
Implement plans to meet those goals.
Make annual reports: Evaluate outcomes through feedback and surveys and make
recommendations for the future.
Disseminate information regularly and in a timely fashion to the student body about the
center’s programming
Represent WFI at student events, such as Student Activities Fair, House Teas, etc..
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Personal Information
Name:
Class:
Phone:
House:
Email:
Box
Number:
Application Short Answer Response
1) Why would you like to be a member of Student Advisory Committee?
2) What experience have you had with WFI/ financial literacy or entrepreneurship that qualify
you for this position?
3) What recommendations do you have to increase student engagement with WFI?
4) Please list your academic, work, and extracurricular commitments for next semester.
Please Submit a Resume Along with Your Application
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following individuals for providing help and insight into this report:
Nancy Whittier, Professor, Sociology Department, Smith College
Anna Vargas, Program Coordinator for Student Affairs
Susannah Howe, Senior Lecturer and Director of Design Clinic, Engineering
Stacie Hagenbaugh, Director, Lazarus Center for Career Development
Roger Kauffman, Faculty leader for WFI
Kristen Brown, Assistant VP for Communications at Caltech
Paul Silvia, Instructor for J-term entrepreneurship course, ED of Valley Venture Mentors
Allie Felix, Student intern at WFI
Neelum Amin, Smith Board of Trustees member
Jessica Bacal, Director Wurtele Center
Susan Brunelle, Student intern at WFI
Colleen Delvecchio, Associate Director Alumnae Engagement
Elise Gibson, Editor, Alumnae Communications
John MacMillon, Director of Alumnae Communications
Sandy Doucett, Associate VP for Development
Marea Wexler, Development
Merrilyn Lewis, Associate Director of Events Management
Greg White, Lewis Global Studies Center co-director
Rebecca Hovey, Lewis Global Studies Center co-director
Iris Newalu, Director, Smith’s Executive Education for Women
Mona Sinha, Smith College Trustee
Meri Hoverman, Alumnae Affairs, Assistant Director of Clubs and Undergrad Programming
Patti Thornton, Assistant Director, Development
Sarah Craig, Director of Smith Non-Degree Programs
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