Betsy Goetz currently serves as a faculty member in the English department and has taught a first-year experience course at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota. Goetz has been with Riverland Community College since 2008, and has been a participant in the CashCourse Reimbursement Program since 2016. Each semester, Goetz and her team work together to put on a variety of successful workshops that have been recognized by Riverland Community College's president. Read on to learn more about Goetz's work.
CC: Tell us about yourself and how you got started in this
field.
BG: I am passionate about my family -- and teaching. I have been an educator at Riverland since
2008. Although I am primarily English
Faculty, I have also taught our First Year Experience Class. Years ago, my Academic Dean, Kelly McCalla,
suggested that we apply for a “CashCourse reimbursement” since financial education was
a component of this First Year class. As
a result, we have consistently applied for the Reimbursement Program since 2016. Although I applied for this 2020 Financial
Educator of the Year distinction, I qualified my application by stating that
CashCourse is a RIVERLAND TEAM EFFORT. I
could only nominate one name officially, but in my heart, there’s a lot of
names in this award: Laurie Minehart, Chelsea Anderson, Krista Olson, Nadia
Leal, Amanda Mathews, Laurel Panser, Miguel Garate, Roxanne Holst, Al Shuda,
Susan Johnson, Katelyn Flatness, Kris Hamilton, Amy Wagner – and more.
CC: Tell us about the financial well-being work you do at
Riverland Community College.
BG: We have been organizing CashCourse events at Riverland Community
College for several years. Our success
is defined by our collaboration. We
offer CashCourse “Passport Workshops” that run on a simultaneous workshop
format. Students grab a slice of pizza
and rotate from one station to the next. Students are given a “passport ticket”
that is “stamped” by each workshop presenter. At the end, all students who have attended all CashCourse events will be
entered in the gift card drawing to our Riverland Book Store or Hy-Vee Grocery
Store. By the time we felt we had about
perfected this CashCourse delivery, Spring 2020 and COVID hit. We scrambled a bit and completed our first
Zoom CashCourse event. The blessing in
disguise is that we will now offer an online component in the future to attract
our many online students. CashCourse
events have truly benefited hundreds of Riverland students.
CC: Why do you think financial education is important for
college students?
BG: Students crave financial knowledge. At our CashCourse events, students learn to
apply for scholarships, receive financial aid or grants, balance a checkbook or
establishing credit, understand the differences between needs and wants, and
identify simple ways to save money. Education
is the key. We teach our students to
make wise choices with money. That knowledge
will further enhance their lifelong success.
CC: Can you share a favorite memory of working with
students on personal finance?
BG: Our CashCourse events are a dynamic trifecta –
food, gift cards, and engaging financial knowledge. When we read the feedback comments, we are excited
and humbled by students’ responses. CashCourse
is a catalyst of hope – even after a two-hour workshop – that money need not be
the barrier for students’ academic dreams.
The best CashCourse times occur when students apply for scholarships on
the spot from our Riverland Foundation – especially when most didn’t know how
to apply or that they were eligible.
CC: What have you been most proud of from your work
in student financial education?
BG: I am most proud of the Riverland Team Spirit in
generating a “first class” CashCourse Event each semester. Students improve knowledge about student loans
and grants, better understand banking and credit concepts, and gain ownership
of their financial futures. We want this
event to be transformative. This is our
collective Riverland goal!
And I was especially proud when our Riverland
President, Adenuga
Atewologun, and our Business
Director, George Bass, attended our event.
Administrative support on campus is fundamental to our success.
CC: Is there anything else you would like to add?
BG: Thank you, CashCourse, for this tremendous honor! Ironically, I have not always been a money
management expert.
When I was first
married, I used duplicate checks because I would forget to write my transaction
amounts.
Education is the key. We can learn to better control our expenses
and spending habits, just like we can gain knowledge to write a proficient
essay.
Sadly, I have also observed that
many students on our college campus have financial distress.
Every day students come to our food pantry
because they have no funds to buy lunch.
Money should not be a barrier to education. Money should not be a choice between books
and food.
Money should not be the reason
students drop out of college.
Truly, the
Riverland CashCourse Team believes our students should have the right to a good
college education, the resources to prevent hunger, and the capacity to make a
decent living.