UVU’s new FinTech Center advances financial planning education through AI, data analytics, and hands-on learning for future finance and wealth management leaders.
Utah Valley University marked a new chapter in finance education with the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of its Financial Technology (FinTech) Center, located within the Woodbury School of Business. The celebration, held on campus, drew university leaders, faculty, students, and industry partners, including representatives from the Charles Schwab Foundation, whose support helped make the center a reality.
The UVU FinTech Center is designed to close the growing gap between traditional finance education and the fast-evolving technologies shaping the modern financial world. As Dr. Rachel Bi, Department Chair of the Finance and Economics Department and Director of the new Center, explained, the initiative was developed from over a decade of teaching and mentoring students eager to move beyond textbooks and theory.
“I noticed a growing gap between traditional finance education and the rapidly changing tools, platforms, and technologies shaping professional practice,” Bi said. “Students were eager not just to learn concepts, but to test ideas, work with real software, and solve real-world problems. The FinTech Center was created to provide a space where theory, technology, and application come together in a meaningful way.”
Building on UVU’s nationally recognized Financial Planning and Wealth Management program, the FinTech Center extends the university’s celebrated tradition of hands-on, experiential learning into areas like data analytics, digital automation, and AI-enabled financial services. This forward-looking approach honors UVU’s history of applied learning while preparing students for the rapidly shifting future of finance.
“It allows us to honor what has made the program successful while also preparing students for where the industry is heading, particularly in the RIA and wealth management space,” Dr. Bi said. “The FinTech Center positions UVU as a strong talent pipeline for the financial planning and wealth management industry, particularly in the western U.S. Our graduates are not only academically prepared; they are experienced in applied problem-solving, collaboration, and tech-driven decision-making, which makes them immediately valuable to firms seeking the next generation of professionals.”
Ranked third highest performing undergraduate financial planning program in the nation and first in the West, UVU’s Financial Planning and Wealth Management program is consistently on the cutting edge of innovation.
In a true testament to the steadfast grit and inexhaustible ambition embodied by UVU students, the UVU FinTech Center showcased the exact kind of student-driven innovation the learning hub aims to foster. Projects on display at the ribbon-cutting included explorations of AI-powered financial coaching and AI-enabled micropayments, as students are already experimenting with the technologies transforming the financial landscape before securing their first roles.
Another project, Rydlnk, exemplifies the Center’s interdisciplinary spirit. Conceived as a student-led mobility and FinTech venture, Rydlnk was designed to offer frequent commuters reliable, cost-effective transportation through subscription-based pricing, synchronization, and predictive scheduling models.
“What makes the Center transformational is that it empowers students to move from passive learning to active creation,” Bi said.
Students collaborate across departments, pairing finance majors with peers from computer science, digital media, marketing, and more. This amalgamation of diverse creative perspectives and skills mirrors the realities of modern financial services, where technology, communication, and user experience design intersect to drive growth and progress.
The Center functions as a collaborative lab where students propose ideas, form teams, and report weekly on progress. “I think it’s very unique how we operate and give every student an opportunity to write a proposal, find their teammates, and realize their ideas into reality,” Bi noted. “The Center provides both the physical space, like the Bloomberg Lab, and the mentorship structure to turn curiosity into experimentation and impact.”
The FinTech Center’s launch was made possible through a multi-year grant from the Charles Schwab Foundation, a partnership Dr. Bi describes as transformational. The support has expanded mentorship opportunities, strengthened industry-aligned projects, and fostered students’ connections to financial service professions.
“This collaboration accelerates ideas already forming in classrooms and research projects,” Bi said. “It gives students exposure to industry standards, expectations, and career pathways they might not otherwise encounter.”
These partnerships ensure the FinTech Center integrates directly with the financial world rather than creating a simulation. Through workshops, real-time feedback from industry mentors, research opportunities, and hands-on engagement with cutting-edge tools, UVU students gain a head start in the competitive finance sector.
For Dr. Bi, the heart of the FinTech Center’s mission is empowering students to grow from learners to innovators and watching their passion and hard work come to life in the lab. “I’m most proud of my students—their curiosity, creativity, and willingness to engage deeply with complex problems,” she said. “The FinTech Center reflects years of steady mentorship and student-driven innovation, and that’s what makes it meaningful to me—and to my students as well.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Bi hopes some student ventures will blossom into full-fledged companies. “I told my students, ‘I’m counting on you to come back and make millions in donations to UVU before I retire,’” she joked. “I’m really confident and proud of the quality of the projects my students are working on at the Center.”
The UVU FinTech Center represents a shared vision within the Woodbury School of Business—one that unites faculty, university leadership, students, and industry partners as a symbol of what happens when passion for experiential education, growth, and innovation converge.
“I’m deeply grateful for the partnerships and support that made the Center a reality, and I’m excited to see how our students continue to shape the future of financial services,” Dr. Bi said.
As the Woodbury School of Business’ Financial Planning and Wealth Management program celebrates this milestone in UVU’s history, the real work and innovation are just getting started. The UVU FinTech Center stands as a visionary launching pad for the next generation of innovators at the intersection of traditional finance and the ever-expanding world of technology—ready to redefine what’s possible.
