By Heather Shaw, Program Manager
On Tuesday, September 15, new and returning students gathered at the CFM Fall Welcome, an annual event hosted at the beginning of the school year, to meet one another and reconnect. Over 120 students filled the Fireside Lounge at the St. Jerome's University campus and enjoyed food, conversation, and company. While the Fall Welcome is a sought-after event for students, this year's event was extra special. Sitting proudly at the center of the celebration we're two anniversary cakes, marking 20 years of the Computing and Financial Management (CFM) program and kicking off a year of celebratory events to come.
To celebrate the occasion, six local alumni were invited to connect with students, share their career experiences, and help serve cake. Students were excited to meet their predecessors to ask about their past academic experiences and find out how it has shaped their professional skills and career growth; and likewise, alumni were keen to learn about the new student experience with the evolution of the CFM academic curriculum. CFM is a community-minded program of bright, talented, and social students and the space was buzzing with genuine conversation and points of connection. It was meaningful having such diverse groups of knowledge and experiences in the room.
The story of CFM
Since its inception in 2006, CFM has graduated over 350 students, from its small cohort of 45 students that it admits every year.
The origins of CFM began in 2003 when professors from the Cheriton School of Computer Science and the School of Accounting and Finance connected to discuss the complex problems facing the financial industry. Financial institutions were increasingly relying on technology, yet few graduates possessed expertise in both computer science and finance. Together, they envisioned a program that would bridge this gap and prepare students for an emerging industry that would eventually become known as Financial Technology, or FinTech.
After years of planning and collaboration, the program was officially approved in 2005.
In September 2006, the first cohort of 44 students arrived on campus to navigate an unchartered academic path. Those students were ahead of their time in choosing CFM, much like the professors who originated the program, and their experience shaped the culture and community of CFM that it is known for today.
Over the next two decades, the program evolved alongside the industries it was designed to serve. The first class graduated in 2011, CFM introduced mentorship with CFM Connect, earned accreditation as a University Affiliated Program with the CFA Institute, and launched specialized courses focused on financial markets and data analytics, including CFM101 and CFM301. Along the way, students excelled in case competitions, hackathons, investment challenges, and entrepreneurial ventures, demonstrating the value of combining technical expertise with financial knowledge.
Let the party begin!
With the Fall Welcome kicking off the year, CFM is excited to celebrate its 20-year milestone with alumni around the globe and close to home. More student events will be offered in the fall term, and year to come, to share the origins of the program and visit alumni in popular cities like Toronto, New York, and California. As CFM looks to continue its enduring legacy, it is keen to connect with those that helped to make it what it is — by sharing the milestone with faculty, staff, alumni, and students.
Here's to the first 20 years of CFM, and to many more to come.