WCMS Courses
Credit unions face pressures from many emerging technologies including blockchain, cryptocurrency, the metaverse, and artificial intelligence. Credit union leaders must also be prepared for unforeseen new technologies that will arise. While this course will provide a limited overview of current emerging technologies, the focus of the content is on how and when to effectively leverage technology …
The course explores underlying demographic and economic trends that will shape the financial services industry of the future. Students will explore historical episodes that have affected and shaped banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions; and analyze how current trends may drastically alter financial services operations in the future. In addition to forecasting future …
Organizations must adapt as their business environment changes. How do leaders engage best practices and engage employees to plan for and execute change within the organization? This course builds on examples from other industries to help leaders identify best practices and problematic practices in preparing the organization to anticipate and respond to change.
This course explores the possibilities, and responsibilities, of credit union leadership. How can students take the skills they have learned and WMCS and help implement better member service at their credit union? The course uses case studies from leaders and strategies in other fields to explore the role of leadership and strategy for credit union …
This course requires students to use their financial training to lead a simulated credit union through several years of economic conditions based on actual historical events. Working in teams, students are required to allocated budget priorities, generate strategic plans and adjust to the economic environment to attain their uniquely determined goals. In addition to reinforcing …
An introduction to the basic foundations of marketing theory with application to credit union management. Explores customer preferences, branding and advertising channels, and the relationship between marketing and other functions of the credit union. Students will use marketing principles to propose strategies for their credit union.
The structure and history of financial sector and credit union regulation, and the role for political advocacy. Major themes include the role of regulation in public policy, the interplay between regulation and market structure, and the role of political action in shaping regulation. Examples from credit union regulation, including compliance, political advocacy and strategies to …
An overview of Project Management theory, with examples from academic and credit union sector projects. Provides tools and techniques for project definition, goal creation, budgeting, timeline planning, risk analysis, team-building, tracking and managing the project, and project post-review and analysis. This course provides the foundation for the service-learning project portions of the WCMS curriculum. All …
The course explores the evaluation of risks and uncertainty when making decisions and identifying mitigation strategies. In addition to exploring frameworks for risk management, the course also explores the consequences of inaction—decisions still need to be made even under uncertainty. Examples are drawn from credit union case studies to help students estimate risks and design …
This course provides an overview of the key functions carried out at credit unions, including: operations, finance, human resources, marketing, and information technology. Students will explore the interplay between functional areas and assess the strengths and weaknesses of credit unions’ operational strategies. Particular emphasis will be placed on application of course tools on the student’s …