UT’s John H. Sykes College of
Business will launch a financial services operations and systems bachelor of
science degree major this fall aimed at producing high-demand graduates for
financial services companies.
Financial services operations and systems
is an emerging field of study that focuses on the application of computer
technology and analytical skills to more effectively manage financial services
operations. Given the continual evolution of today’s financial services and the
growing importance of technology in global operations, the demand for FSOS
professionals who are skilled in both technical and service operations is
expected to rise in the near future.
“Major financial services companies
are looking for employees with an increasingly unique skill set,” said Dr.
Joseph E. McCann, dean of the Sykes College of Business. “Our FSOS program is
the only one like it in the state of Florida, and will make our graduates among
the most competitive in the industry.”
According to an economic survey by
Enterprise Florida, information technology and financial services provide the
highest average annual wages in Florida, and provide more than 650,000 jobs. In
2003, financial services alone contributed $158 billion to the state
economy.
“The FSOS major will prepare our graduates to be leaders of the
next generation of professionals in some of the most prestigious financial
services companies worldwide,” said Dr. Ali Jenzarli, who is in UT’s ITM
department and is one of the designers of the FSOS major.
The launch of
the major is part of UT’s ongoing partnership with Financial Florida, the
statewide not-for-profit that seeks to attract and expand non-depository
financial services operations in the state. The organization is comprised of
industry representatives, service providers and economic development
professionals representing the state's major non-depository financial services
clusters in Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami—four of the 51 largest
financial services markets in the nation.
“The University of Tampa is a
vital partner in our efforts to grow Florida’s financial services workforce,”
said Irv Cohen, chairman of Financial Florida and president of GunnAllen Bank.
“This new major is a crucial step toward making Florida more attractive for
financial services companies.”
In 2004, Financial Florida was
instrumental in securing a high-impact designation for non-depository financial
services. This designation ultimately made it easier for Florida to offer
incentives to financial services companies considering the state as a possible
relocation site.
“The FSOS major will allow us to offer financial
services companies the most important incentive of all—a highly skilled
workforce,” said Ghassan Hakim, chair of Financial Florida’s Education Advisory
Council and vice president of Franklin Templeton Investments. “This is a
promising development for the future of our state.”
“This announcement is
an incredibly significant step toward making the Tampa Bay area and
the
state of Florida more competitive,” said Larry Richey, chairman of the Financial
Services Committee of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Committee of 100.
“The University of Tampa has done a wonderful job of identifying what our
workforce lacks most, and then designing a program to address those
needs.”
For more information, contact Dr. Ali Jenzarli at (813) 253-6221,
x 3306, or
ajenzarli@ut.edu.