Director's Welcome

Recent changes in the national economy and public policy have led to a rise in the number of organizations developing and delivering Financial Education throughout the nation. In Northwest PA, the Penn State Behrend Center for Credit and Consumer Research (CCCR) is one such organization whose objective it is to help people to choose and use financial services successfully. Established in 2004, the CCCR is an applied outreach unit of the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Behrend. When originally developed, the CCCR's primary purpose was to research consumer socialization and credit card usage habits; particularly ethical problems and risks associated with credit card usage among vulnerable populations in society. The Center for Credit & Consumer Research mission was to combat risks associated with credit card usage among vulnerable populations which included high school and college students, senior citizens and the disabled. The CCCR examined issues pertaining to consumer socialization and the credit card usage habits of consumers in the United States and international markets. The Center has conducted empirical research related to consumer socialization and credit card usage and provided educational outreach to help consumers manage their credit card debt. Since being created, the Center has also provided free educational outreach programming that focuses on promoting spending, saving, credit, and overall money management skills to students in K-12 and beyond and has reached over 5,000 individuals. The primary focus of our outreach has been in the inner-city schools, as well as afterschool programs and college students. Our goal is to provide the youth/young adults we work with practical instruction about basic needs to earn a living, methods to achieve greater self-sufficiency, and improved quality of life. We hope to not only provide mentorship with the volunteers that work with the students, but also provide these students/young adults with the knowledge that this cycle can be broken and that it can begin with them. Through this website, I invite you to become acquainteed with the CCCR, its mission, and its resources. Thank you for visiting and please feel free to contact us for additional information or if you are interested in scheduling our programming in your organization.

Erica K. Jackson
Director, CCCR

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