Elevating Student Financial Literacy

By William (Don) D. Fleet

Throughout my life I have observed a phenomenon that is virtually unexplained: Some of the most highly educated people are essentially financially broke, yet some others who dropped out of school are extremely well off. My friend, who served as the president of three small colleges, conveyed that there appears to be nothing to correlate academic success with a forecast of financial success. My observations match his assessment.

Heidelberg enhanced my capacity for financial success. It began with Reginald E. Yanney, Chair of the Economics Department and my academic advisor for four years. Mr. Yanney was a Certified Public Accountant who retired as the Chief Financial Officer of Hoover Corporation in North Canton, Ohio. Mr. Yanney wanted to “give back” and Heidelberg landed him as a department chair. He was gifted; he delighted in introducing us to business, finance and management. I remember him with passionate gratitude and dedicate this endowment to his memory.

As a manager he understood realistic quantifiable goals. He introduced us to IBM’s Peter Drucker, a management pioneer in the 1960s. Mr. Drucker coined Management by Objective (MBO), which Mr. Yanney enthusiastically shared with us. MBO is applicable to complicated management issues as well as individual pursuits. Though Mr. Yanney ensured that we knew how to set goals and manage them, it was up to us to decide to what extent we would take the process throughout our lives.

For those so inclined, setting goals and seeing them achieved is one of life’s joys. Therefore, Rose and I have established The Reginald E. Yanney Endowment for Financial Literacy, and our hope is that this endowment elevates student financial literacy, so Heidelberg’s students get a similar boost. Our passion: That Heidelberg delivers life enriching financial literacy to all students.

Join Don

Like Don, you too can provide for future Heidelberg students by establishing an endowment or otherwise including a gift to Heidelberg University in your will or other estate plan. Contact Doug Kellar at dkellar@heidelberg.edu or 419-448-2888 to discuss your options.