University News

The Department of Economics in the University of Memphis' Fogelman College of Business and Economics has named Charles Burkett its Economic Educator of the Year. Burkett, president of First Tennessee Financial Services, is being recognized for his efforts to integrate economic education into local school agendas.

In February, First Tennessee made a significant gift to the U of M which launched a partnership to support efforts to recruit and retain faculty through a professorship awards program and to bolster the outreach and educational programming of the University's Center for Economic Education.

The Center provides professional development workshops for K-12 teachers to help them incorporate economic and financial literacy into their existing curricula, modeling for students how to incorporate good decision-making behaviors and analytical thinking in all areas of their lives.

When the Center for Economic Education was formed 2 1/2 years ago, First Tennessee was one of the first corporate donors, said Dr. Julie Heath, Center director. "First Tennessee recognized in the beginning how critical these behaviors are in giving our children the best preparation for their lives as workers, consumers, savers, borrowers and voters," Heath said. "That first contribution got the Center started and allowed us to begin providing workshops for teachers at no cost."

The latest contribution from First Tennessee Foundation will allow the Center to continue to meet the needs of the school systems and the community as a whole, Heath added.

During his career with First Tennessee, Burkett has had responsibilities in the areas of personal banking, small business lending, retail credit, and installment and credit card loan administration. He also was president of First Tennessee-Cookeville. A 1973 graduate of the U of M, Burkett also graduated from the Graduate School of Consumer Banking at the University of Virginia and the executive development program at the University of Tennessee.

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