Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University’s Department of Student Financial Aid is receiving a 2017 Regions Bank Marketing Partner Rock Star Award for its role in promoting financial education.

“This is the first time we have presented this award externally,” said Sammy Slaughter, senior vice president and city president for Regions Bank in Starkville. “We have a strong partnership with MSU, and we appreciate the university’s ongoing financial education efforts.”

In fall 2016, MSU implemented Transit-Financial Wellness as part of the Regions Financial Scholars Program. Transit is an interactive, web-based, tablet-friendly financial education program created by EverFi Inc., a leading education technology company.

Regions Bank sponsors Transit at college campuses in several states as part of the company’s commitment to sharing financial education with students of all ages. Regions also makes financial education available to the public through the Insights section of Regions.com. The content and budgeting tools are available to everyone, regardless of whether they bank with Regions. For more on the MSU-Regions partnership, visit https://www.doingmoretoday.com/mississippi-state-makes-money-management-easy-students-alums/.

“Mississippi State had nearly 8,500 students from the fall 2016 semester complete the Transit program, the highest participation of campus Regions sponsors,” said John Daniels, MSU financial literacy coordinator.

Daniels said MSU’s student financial aid department has been diverse in its financial literacy marketing efforts. Providing information on budgeting, paying for college, loans, general saving tips and other important topics is among those efforts, he said. Students and other members of the campus and local communities can access helpful information on www.bulldogbudgets.msstate.edu, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @BulldogBudgets.

“In addition to our website and social media platforms, we send out a monthly e-newsletter to help students stay abreast of information that is relevant to their financial decisions, including ways to save money and application deadlines for state and federal aid,” Daniels said.

Paul McKinney, MSU student financial aid director, said his department “appreciates everything Regions has done to support our financial education activities over the past year.”

“We want to reach as many students as we can, and we’ve been able to do that with Regions’ help,” McKinney added.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.