Champlain Welcomed into CFA Institute University Recognition Program

Champlain College has become the first institution in Vermont to be welcomed into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program. Two Robert P. Stiller School of Business programs, the Business Administration (BSBA) major with a finance minor and the Accounting major with a finance minor, have been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70 percent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) and placing emphasis on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice within the program. These programs position students well to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, which has become the most respected and recognized investment credential in the world.

Fritz Burkhardt, Ph.D., CFA, assistant professor of Finance for the Robert P. Stiller School of Business, stated "We are honored to be recognized by the CFA Institute as our curriculum is designed to provide practical, relevant business education prized by managers and employers."

Entry into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that Champlain College's curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well-suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA examinations. Through participation in this program, Champlain College is eligible to receive five student scholarships for the CFA Program each year.

"Students in these programs study the Candidate Body of Knowledge, which include knowledge, skills, and abilities that investment experts worldwide have identified as essential best practice," said Stephen Horan, Ph.D., CFA, CIPM, head of University Relations and Private Wealth for the CFA Institute. "By mastering the fundamentals of the CFA Program as well as the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, these future investment professionals join us in our mission to promote the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence for the ultimate benefit of society."

Burkhardt added, "Our mission in the Robert P. Stiller School of Business is to prepare innovative business professionals who will use their integrity, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to create positive change in the world. Being recognized by the CFA institute is a wonderful achievement for our institution and further reflects our teaching excellence, quality academic programs, and salient finance education at Champlain College."

Champlain College's Robert P. Stiller School of Business offers outstanding degree programs in many of the country's hottest and most profitable arenas of business, including accounting, business administration, international business, management of creative media, management and innovation and marketing. Its job placement rate for the graduating class of 2011 was 94 percent with 87 percent employed in a position directly tied to their career goals and their Champlain business education.

About CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and administers the industry gold standard CFA charter. The organization is a champion for ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. The end goal: to create an environment where investors' interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. CFA Institute has more than 110,000 members in 139 countries and territories, including 100,000 CFA charter holders. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org.

About the CFA Program

The CFA Program sets a standard for developing the skills, standards, competence, and integrity of financial analysts, portfolio managers, investment advisers, and other investment professionals worldwide. It is widely considered the investment profession's most rigorous credentialing program. Administered in English, the CFA curriculum and examinations are identical worldwide. Fewer than one in five candidates who begin the program successfully complete it and go on to earn the coveted CFA charter, the "gold standard" for investment professionals.


Founded in 1878, Champlain College is a small, not-for-profit, private college in Burlington, Vermont, with additional campuses in Montreal, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain offers a traditional undergraduate experience from its beautiful campus overlooking Lake Champlain and over 90 residential undergraduate and online undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificates. Champlain's distinctive career-driven approach to higher education embodies the notion that true learning occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain College is included in the Princeton Review's The Best 384 Colleges: 2019 Edition. For the fourth year in a row, Champlain was named a "Most Innovative School" in the North by U.S. News & World Report's 2019 "America's Best Colleges,” and a “Best Value School” and is ranked in the top 100 “Regional Universities of the North” and in the top 25 for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” Champlain is also featured in the Fiske Guide to Colleges for 2019 as one of the "best and most interesting schools" in the United States, Canada and Great Britain and is a 2019 College of Distinction. For more information, visit champlain.edu.