Established in 2011 through a partnership between Enrollment Management and Financial Services, FinancialSmarts, UMBC’s award-winning financial literacy program, continues to evolve.  

Effective July 1, the FinancialSmarts program will move from its current home in the Office of Enrollment Management to its new home in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.  This strategic move expands the scope and reach of our Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to serve all students at UMBC, beyond need-based and merit eligible students, including undergraduate, graduate and international students.  Additionally, this move positions our FinancialSmarts program to provide timely and critical personal financial management education (i.e. budgeting and saving, credit and debt management, investing and retirement planning, etc.) to our students as they engage in academic planning, including exploring options to fund their education. 

I am also pleased to share that in her new capacity as Senior Associate Director for Financial Aid and Scholarships, Colleen Lindbeck will provide day to day management and oversight of the FinancialSmarts program including direct supervision of Hannah Sadollah (’19, Psychology), Financial Literacy and Education Program Specialist.  Colleen has served as a member of the Financial Literacy and Education Committeesince its inception in 2011 and was instrumental in the development and launch of our FinancialSmarts Grant program – an initiative promoting financial capability and wellness to students with the greatest demonstrated financial need.  In her capacity, first, as the Financial Literacy Student Assistant and then as the Financial Literacy and Education Program Specialist, Hannah has been hugely instrumental in the development, planning and implementation of our signature financial literacy programs including CashCourse, CashCoach, CashClips and Money Smart Week. 

I am confident Colleen, Hannah and the Financial Aid and Scholarships team will take the FinancialSmarts program to new heights and will continue to provide our students with the resources and tools to make informed and effective financial decisions.   

Thank you to our campus partners for their continued support of our financial literacy efforts and a special thank you to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Orientation, the Registrar’s Office and the Division of Professional Studies for their generous support of this vision.

Yvette Mozie-Ross, PhD

Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Planning