(Columbus) - The Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee today addressed more than 100 teachers, school administrators and education advocates gathered at Capitol Theatre at the Riffe Center in Columbus to celebrate April as Financial Literacy Month in Ohio. The event was hosted by the Ohio Commission on Personal Finance with support from the Ohio Council on Economic Education.

“Education and financial responsibility are optimistic undertakings,” said Gee. “They both require hard work and the belief that your work will pay off in the end. Personal financial education gives students the tools they need to be sure that their efforts pay off, and it sets them up to succeed in the future. Financial education for students is an investment in Ohio.”

The Ohio State University Department of Financial Aid, in 2001, developed a seven-week "Success Series" in which every freshman is required to complete several sessions for college credit on leadership, studying habits and personal finance issues, Gee noted. Sessions on savings and investing, credit-card abuse, and identity theft are particularly popular.

Ohio Commission on Personal Finance co-chairs, State Treasurer Richard Cordray, and House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty also both spoke at the Financial Literacy Month kickoff.

“Every one of us could benefit from a second look at our family finances,” said Cordray. “and the current economic slowdown makes this the perfect time for a little financial spring cleaning.”

The Treasurer encouraged Ohioans to visit his office’s up-to-the minute personal finance Web site, www.yourmoneynowonline.org, for more information about personal finance education, and said that while “taking a hard look at your finances isn’t always fun, any steps you can take now to improve your situation will help you have more control over your family’s financial future. ”

“It’s important to recognize April as Financial Literacy Month in Ohio,” said Beatty. “Education is the engine that drives our economy, and an understanding of one’s finances is the beginning of a job well done when it comes to planning for the future.”

The Treasurer’s Office and many community groups are sponsoring financial literacy events around the state throughout April.