The 国产短视频 today announced new gifts totaling $14 million from St. Petersburg philanthropists Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton that will support the 国产短视频Muma College of Business鈥� vision to become a 鈥渉ub of excellence鈥� in fintech.
Fintech, short for "financial technology," aims to improve traditional methods of delivering financial services to simplify financial transactions, making them more accessible and, often, more affordable to consumers and businesses. Fintech automation impacts everything from mobile banking and insurance to crowdfunding, blockchain, cryptocurrency and investment apps.
鈥淜ate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton have made an indelible impact on the University of South Florida, and their generous new gifts continue their legacy of preparing our business students for a bright future,鈥� said 国产短视频President Rhea Law. 鈥淔intech is a rapidly emerging field, and Kate and Ellen have paved the way for a cutting-edge program at 国产短视频that will help fill the talent pipeline to serve the Tampa Bay region鈥檚 thriving tech community.鈥�
The gifts are for the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, one of six schools in the Muma College of Business. The school鈥檚 home is on the 国产短视频St. Petersburg campus, and it has students and faculty on each of USF鈥檚 three campuses, all of whom will benefit from the gifts.
鈥淚t brings us great joy to help 国产短视频students build their expertise in fintech, so they are ready for the fast-changing business world that awaits them,鈥� Tiedemann and Cotton said. 鈥淭he faculty on the 国产短视频St. Petersburg campus, on all 国产短视频campuses, possess the talent and experience needed to effectively develop the curricula that will make 国产短视频a leader in this space. Fintech spans many disciplines, and we couldn鈥檛 be happier to play our part in creating new opportunities for students.鈥�
Moez Limayem, the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the 国产短视频Muma College of Business, says fintech is a high-demand field that produces graduates who regularly transition quickly into high-paying jobs.
鈥淔intech is one of the fastest-growing tech sectors in the world,鈥� Limayem said. 鈥淭here is a seemingly endless array of fintech applications, and this gift will help us educate students on blockchain, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, automation and data science that is the backbone of innovation.鈥�
The gifts, made through the 国产短视频Foundation, support Limayem鈥檚 four-pillar vision for fintech, which includes hiring world-class faculty to conduct scholarly inquiries into emerging opportunities, as well as assessing fintech risks and threats and how to mitigate them. The second pillar of the plan, to embed fintech modules into core curricula, will ensure all 国产短视频business students, regardless of major, have meaningful exposure to the topic.
The third pillar includes broader outreach to share expertise with the community through conferences, executive education programs and workplace certificate programs. The fourth pillar allows the school to become a place where students and fintech entrepreneurs alike come for education and mentoring, where startups come for resources and major firms come for talent.
The gifts further solidify the Tampa Bay region鈥檚 footprint in fintech, including a strong presence in St. Petersburg that has come as an outgrowth of the city鈥檚 strong roots in the financial services sector. The area is home to Raymond James, now the largest financial service provider outside of Wall Street. According to the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp., financial services is St. Pete鈥檚 largest employment sector, and the thriving tech community has drawn companies such as ARK Invest and Dynasty Financial Partners to relocate to the area.
The support for fintech is the latest example of Tiedemann and Cotton鈥檚 investment in USF. The $10 million gift announced today is in addition to $4 million that was given during the COVID-19 pandemic, though not previously announced, to endow two professorships. Prior contributions have transformed the St. Petersburg campus鈥� school of business and finance.
鈥淜ate and Ellen have a deep passion for the university, its students and its faculty. Their longstanding support of the 国产短视频St. Petersburg campus has been transformative. These gifts will help generations of students prepare for the workplace,鈥� said USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman. 鈥淭heir support also signals to other philanthropists that giving to 国产短视频is a smart investment that impacts lives and the larger community.鈥�