When CBE opened the T. Rowe Price Finance Lab on the first floor of Stephens Hall in 2012, our vision was to create a hands-on learning space for finance and economics not just for TU students, but for the entire community.
When classes weren’t being held in the lab, we wanted to use the space for financial literacy workshops for teachers and students. We started with Maryland Council on Economic Education (MCEE) hosting one or two workshops in 2013. Since then, the number of workshops has grown year after year. It is amazing to think that more than in just six years nearly 2,000 K-12 students from 45 different schools across Maryland have experienced the lab.
The impact these field trips to the lab have on the students is evident in the darling, hand-drawn thank-you cards they send after each visit. They write about how they learned to become millionaires and research stocks, how exciting they were to be on a college campus, and how much they love the cafeteria food.
As an honorary member of the MCEE Board of Trustees, I get to see some of these students’ excitement firsthand at the organization’s annual awards ceremony each spring. At this ceremony, the winners of the Maryland Stock Market Game, the Personal Finance Challenge Bowl, and the annual poster contest. Seeing the enthusiasm for learning about economic concepts and the interest in building good personal financial habits among these young people is heartening. It is also heartwarming to see the committed support of many corporate and nonprofit partners who help make these programs possible.
As the old song goes, the children are our future. It’s up to us as educators and community leaders to empower them with the knowledge and skills they need to have prosperous futures, which will translate to a better future for us all.
Shohreh A. Kaynama ’76
Dean, College of Business and Economics
Towson University