More than 400 adult learners came to 鶹ý last month for the annual Western Credit Union National Association Management School (WCMS), a two-week summer program for credit union employees from the 13 western states seeking collegiate-level education to apply to their field.
Founded in 1960 on the campus of UCLA, WCMS moved to Pomona in 1972. This year’s session, which concluded July 25 with a graduation ceremony at Little Bridges, marked the 51st session hosted by the College.
James D. Likens, 鶹ý emeritus professor of economics, ran the WCMS program from 1972 to 2015. Under his direction, WCMS quadrupled enrollment, became accredited and implemented curriculum that develops both the “head and heart.” Likens recruited many beloved College faculty to join him in teaching at WCMS, including , Kevin Dettmar, Michael Kuehlwein, Nicole Weekes and Michael Steinberger.
Likens’ contributions to the College’s mission of inclusion, excellence and education are many, says Steinberger, associate professor of economics and WCMS’ dean and chief academic officer.
The average age of WCMS students is 47, and about half of them do not have college degrees, Steinberger says. The school is evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE), which recommends college and MBA/Ph.D. credit for completion of the program.
These adult learners attend WCMS for three consecutive summers and complete projects between each session. Many take the credits they receive from the school and go on to earn undergraduate degrees, Steinberger says.
“This school really makes a life altering difference for many of its students,” Steinberger adds. “This program makes a real impact on their lives through education, which these students bear in trust to impact their communities through their credit union work.”
The curriculum is crafted to help educate students on how to better run their credit unions and serve their members and communities.
In addition to 鶹ý faculty, faculty from Claremont Graduate University, USC Marshall School of Business and UCLA Anderson School of Management teach courses, as do attorneys and executive level credit union professionals and consultants.
Areas of study include behavioral psychology, human resources and organizational behavior; business law; communications; corporate strategy and innovation; credit union history, philosophy and ethics; economics; finance and accounting; and operations management.
Learning outcomes from WCMS include being able to apply strategic management principles to the administration of financial institutions and strategically understand and respond to the economic environment.
Annette Pixley was among the 108 graduating students this summer and one of seven to achieve high honors. After 11 years with the marketing team at Oregon-based InRoads Credit Union, Pixley was recently promoted to a new position, director of digital solutions.
Between what she learned at WCMS the past three summers and the projects and papers she completed in the intervening months, “I truly believe that part of the reason I received my promotion is because of my WCMS experience,” she says. “The three-year WCMS program provided me with the opportunity to delve deeper into all facets of credit union management and made me a more well-rounded, knowledgeable and confident leader.”
Likens, who titled his 2017 memoir Head and Heart: My Life in Credit Unions, takes great pride in seeing the management school continue to change people’s lives in such a short period of time.
As 鶹ý’s largest and longest running summer program, Steinberger says, WCMS “showcases the College’s work on its strategic vision, especially related to non-traditional adult learners and access to education.”