University of New Haven is first to offer course leading to CFCS certification

MIAMI - Sept. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- The Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS.org) and the University of New Haven (UNH) today announced that UNH is the first college or university to offer a course training its students to become Certified Financial Crime Specialists.

Students enrolled in CJST 5530 ‘Investigating Financial Crimes’ this fall at UNH are learning the legal, ethical and practical aptitudes necessary to become top-tier financial crime specialists. The groundbreaking UNH course uses the 340-page CFCS Certification Exam Study Manual and online, on-demand preparation course from ACFCS as its educational materials and will satisfy part the ACFCS certification process and requirements.

Michael Clark, senior lecturer in criminal justice at UNH and a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent, oversees the program. The instructor for the first ‘Investigating Financial Crimes’ course is Robert Marston, also a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and who currently works on fraud cases for another federal agency.

Preparing students to succeed in booming field

“The unique ACFCS Educational Partner Program reflects the commitment of UNH to help its students gain vital, practical knowledge and credentials in the booming private and public financial crime control sector career fields,” said Mario Gaboury, Dean of the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at UNH.

“CFCS is the only certification that encompasses the full spectrum of financial crimes, including money laundering, fraud, FATCA-tax evasion, FCPA-corruption, asset recovery, data security, compliance, investigations and other areas,” said Gaboury.

“Partnering with ACFCS aligns with the University of New Haven’s mission to provide the highest-quality education and to prepare our students for purposeful lives in a global society,” added Gaboury. “The CFCS course is already proving very valuable to our students, and we look forward to expanding our CFCS program in the years to come.”

Allen Love, a member of the Advisory Board of ACFCS and the Bank Secrecy Act Officer and Deputy Global Anti-Money Laundering Officer in the United States for TD Bank, was a primary catalyst in bringing together ACFCS and the University of New Haven. Love is a former Special Agent of the US Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.

Joining ‘innovative organization’ and ‘student-focused’ university

Love said, “The new relationship between ACFCS and UNH can serve as a model on how an innovative professional organization can work together with a student-focused educational institution to develop future leaders in the financial crime industry.”

Charles A. Intriago, president of ACFCS and a former US federal prosecutor, said, “We look forward to helping UNH share the many benefits of CFCS certification with its students and train the next generation of financial crime professionals for success.”

“ACFCS is proud to partner with such a forward-thinking educational institution as the University of New Haven. It is known for seeking innovative ways to equip its students with the tools they need to find good jobs and be successful,” Intriago added.

“By this partnership with ACFCS, UNH is providing its students with a unique opportunity that increases their standing in the global financial crime job market and boosts their long-term earnings potential. We are happy ACFCS Advisory Board member Allen Love helped make this happen,” Intriago said.

CFCS certification obtained in 56 countries in first 4 months

The CFCS credential is viewed as being so valuable that since May 2013, when it was issued, 12 major financial institutions have obtained the CFCS certification in bulk numbers of as many as 200 for their staffs, Intriago said, adding that the certification has already been obtained in 56 countries.

About The University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a private, top-tier comprehensive institution recognized as a national leader in experiential education. Founded in 1920 on the campus of Yale University in cooperation with Northeastern University, UNH moved to its current West Haven campus in 1960. The University operates a satellite campus in Tuscany, Italy, and offers programs at several locations throughout Connecticut and in New Mexico. UNH provides its students with a unique combination of a solid liberal arts education and real-world, hands-on career and research opportunities. The University enrolls approximately 6,400 students, including nearly 1,800 graduate students and more than 4,600 undergraduates – the majority of whom reside in University housing. Through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Tagliatela College of Engineering, and College of Lifelong & eLearning, UNH offers 75 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. UNH students have access to more than 50 study abroad programs worldwide, and its student-athletes compete in 16 varsity sports in the NCAA Division II’s highly competitive Northeast-10 Conference.

About ACFCS

ACFCS is a member organization that provides training, news, analysis and networking to a worldwide membership of professionals in financial crime field. ACFCS awards the Certified Financial Crime Specialist (CFCS) certification to persons who meet certain qualifications and pass a rigorous examination offered at 700 authorized testing centers worldwide. It is the first credential that tests competence and skill across the financial crime spectrum, including money laundering, FCPA-corruption, FATCA-tax evasion, compliance, investigations and other fields. Visit ACFCS.org for more information.