June 12, 2025: Fairfield County Bank partnered with Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) through a $5,000 donation for their recently-announced Banking Excellence Programpartnership, which connects the University and Connecticut’s top financial institutions to uniquely prepare graduates for a career in financial services.
The Banking Excellence Program provides an additional certificate for students, helping set them apart from others in the job market upon graduation and is currently accepting applications for the first cohort beginning in Fall 2025. The Program consists of four elective courses taken during junior and senior year covering a wide range of industry-specific topics such as risk management, credit underwriting, bank performance metrics and more. Roughly 60% of program funding will come from participating banks, with the rest supported by theAmerican Savings Foundation Endowment.
Classroom instruction is supplemented through a paid internship offered by one of the participating financial institutions, such as Fairfield County Bank, which will provide students with valuable workplace and networking experience. Industry leaders will be presenting regularly and hosting class visits throughout each semester.
“The Banking Excellence Program is an exciting way to engage the next generation of up-and-coming bankers. We look forward to welcoming interns from the program as a valuable addition to our existing internship offerings,” said Fairfield County Bank President, Daniel Berta. Mr. Berta is also an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), teaching FIN 100 in the Ancell School of Business. “I’ve seen first-hand the interest and ability of our college students, and how valuable it would be to introduce them into Connecticut’s banking industry prior to graduation.”
Connecticut State Universities offer students the ability to take classes at another State University and seamlessly transfer credits, meaning that WCSU students interested will also have the opportunity toparticipate in the Banking Excellence Program.
To learn more about the Program and CCSU, please visit: https://www.ccsu.edu/programs/banking-excellence-certificate