The University of Missouri–St. Louis is home to a new multidisciplinary center that focuses on the financial well-being of consumers.

UMSL Chancellor Tom George led a welcome ceremony Monday at Bellerive Hall for the Center for Excellence in Financial Counseling. “I’m very pleased to welcome this new entity to our campus,” George said. “A university setting makes good sense for the center.” The center is the result of a partnership between UMSL and the Foundation for Credit Education. Vicki Jacobson previously served as president of the foundation and is the director of the new center. She said the center will benefit from easy access to academic expertise and research that are important to consumers. “UMSL’s unique mission as a land-grant research institution makes it a strong choice as the foundation seeks to further its goal of excellence in financial counseling,” Jacobson said. “In terms of current teaching and research projects and future possibilities for enhanced partnership, the university has much to offer.”