A new partnership between Boise State University and Westmark Credit Union will create opportunities to strengthen students’ financial knowledge, connect them with career experiences and provide resources that can benefit them well beyond graduation.
The partnership also establishes Westmark as a significant presence in the newly renamed Westmark Student Union Building (SUB), placing the Idaho-based credit union at the center of campus life and creating opportunities for engagement with students, faculty and staff.
For Westmark President and CEO Derik Nielsen, the partnership reflects a natural connection between two organizations focused on helping people build stronger futures.
“As a credit union, one of our biggest focuses is enhancing the lives of our members,” Nielsen said. “Boise State is looking to enhance the lives of its students. Our mission is to make lives better, and that creates a strong alignment. The question for us is: What can we do to help?”
A central focus of the partnership will be financial education. Westmark leaders see an opportunity to help students develop practical financial skills as they navigate college and prepare for life after graduation.
Financial decisions made during these years — from establishing credit and managing expenses to financing a first vehicle or preparing to buy a home — can have long-term implications. Westmark hopes to complement students’ academic preparation with information and resources that help them approach those decisions with greater confidence.
“Money is nearly always one of the biggest stressors in people’s lives,” said Jade Beckman, Westmark executive vice president and chief member experience officer. “If students can develop good financial habits and come out of college on strong financial footing, they are set up better throughout their entire lives. If we can reduce some of that stress, we end up with happier people and stronger communities.”
Just as important, Westmark leaders say, is listening to students rather than assuming what resources they need. The credit union plans to seek student input, including through focus groups, to better understand what students want from a financial institution as well as how Westmark can best serve the campus community.
“We have a unique opportunity to ask students what they want and what they need from a financial partner,” said Tammy Ridgwell, Westmark executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “We want to meet them where they are today, whether that means financial education, building credit or another need, and then be a trusted partner as they reach those milestone moments throughout their lives.”
The partnership also creates possibilities beyond financial education. Westmark sees internships, employment opportunities and career development as additional ways the credit union can contribute to the student experience.
Westmark already employs Boise State graduates as well as current students. Its leaders see the partnership as an opportunity to deepen those connections.
The relationship also reflects the organizations’ shared roots in Idaho and an interest in creating opportunities for students to build careers and lives in the state after graduation.
For Nielsen, who grew up in the Idaho Falls area, Boise State has been part of his awareness of the state since childhood. His first memories were of the Blue Turf and Bronco football, but his understanding of the university grew along with Boise State…
