Chaminade University’s School of Business and Communication, in partnership with the Hawaiian Council for Economic Education (HCEE), has launched the Economic Education Center for Excellence. The Center’s vision is to create a higher quality of life in Hawai‘i through economic and financial education and research and through support of sustainable nonprofit organizations and projects.
“At Chaminade, we understand that in order to continue to offer an excellent and relevant education we must be able to rapidly respond to the needs of learners, the workforce, and statewide and global priorities,” said Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington. “Our new Economic Education Center for Excellence does all of that by supporting local and national financial literacy mandates and the state’s vision for a sustainable Hawai‘i.”
The Center’s mission is to train teachers and students in financial literacy and to provide meaningful research to aid upward social mobility and an economically healthy society. Initial activities are focused on the Spring 2021 Economics Challenge hosted by HCEE for Hawai‘i high school students and teacher training sessions in alignment with Hawai‘i Department of Education standards for K-5 economic education.
“We’re pleased to partner with Chaminade University on the Economic Education Center for Excellence to provide pathways to reach and equip public and private K-12 educators,” said HCEE Chair Jim Dixon. “The Center will foster economic educational leadership and establish measurable learning outcomes for economic and financial literacy education in the state.”
Future Center initiatives will include high school entrepreneurship camps, upward social mobility research and programming, collaborative curricular development with Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, and interdisciplinary research in support of economic education, the economics of climate change and the support of sustainable and effective nonprofit organizations.
“I applaud Chaminade University for establishing its Economic Education Center for Excellence,” said Rich Wacker, president & CEO of American Savings Bank. “Improving education, and especially financial literacy, is incredibly important for the future of our island community.”
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Chaminade University of Honolulu provides a collaborative and innovative learning environment that prepares graduate and undergraduate students for life, service and successful careers. Established in 1955, the university is guided by its Catholic, Marianist and liberal arts educational traditions, which include a commitment to serving the Native Hawaiian population. Chaminade offers an inclusive setting where students, faculty and staff collectively pursue a more just and peaceful society. For more information, visit chaminade.edu.
