Recent and Upcoming Highlights from our Partnership with University Credit Union
A message to the Saint Mary's campus community
Shortly after joining Saint Mary’s last July, I learned about the College’s longstanding partnership with University Credit Union (UCU).
I quickly came to appreciate the broad suite of financial services and programs that UCU offers to our campus community. UCU has been serving university communities like ours since the company was founded in 1951 at UCLA, and I am happy to have them as a partner of SMC’s.
While fans of our athletics programs may be aware of UCU’s sponsorship of the facility that serves as home to our men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams, they generously sponsor many other activities around our campus. To help acknowledge our strong relationship with UCU, I am pleased to call out some of their current and upcoming efforts here at SMC, all of which augment and enhance the educational experience for our Gael students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others:
- Financial education programs are among the core services that UCU provides to students and others in higher education. At Saint Mary’s, for example, UCU sponsors “Summer Staff Lunch and Learns” with topics such as “How to Navigate High Interest Rates” that offer information for faculty and staff on how to reach their financial goals amid challenging times. At these events, UCU experts—most of whom are Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors—offer useful tips and tricks in areas like car loans, mortgages, and debt consolidation.
- UCU also hosted an NCAA Financial Wellness Workshop in the fall for our spring sports student-athletes in an effort to help increase their understanding of fiscal responsibility and personal finances. They also hosted, in September, a series of financial wellness workshops directed toward High Potential students as well as First-Year Advising Cohorts. Included as part of these workshops were personalized financial consultations.
- Three 2025 University Credit Union Scholarship awards—each worth $5,000—are available to student members of UCU via an essay competition. Learn more about the scholarship competition on the UCU website, and be sure to get your application in by the February 24, 2025 deadline! In addition to these scholarship funds, UCU will generously donate $1,000 this spring to our Gael Pantry.
- Exemplifying the Lasallian spirit of community involvement and enrichment, UCU hosted a Young Alumni Summer Networking event in August. Available to SMC alumni classes from 2020 through 2024, the event offered an opportunity for recent alums to learn and build relationships as new professionals in the workforce.
Membership in University Credit Union brings special benefits to our campus community and others, such as perks offered through the UCU Gael Rewards Program. To learn more about UCU and the benefits provided to SMC members, please visit Saint Mary’s UCU’s website.
I am grateful for our College’s partnership with the University Credit Union. Thank you, UCU!
Sincerely,
Roger J. Thompson, EdD
President