Ben Smidt

The WellsFargo.com bus stopped on campus Tuesday to educate accounting and finance students on a variety of financial and banking strategies and tools.

Stretching 45 feet in length, the motor coach is used as a mobile classroom.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind, self-contained education unit,” said Raymond Hughes, lecturer of accounting and finance.

The bus, which uses solar power, features a high-speed connection to the Internet via satellite, 16 terminals for accessing a variety of different financial services and the ability to broadcast to televisions, said Joe Tonumaipea, an e-business analyst for Wells Fargo.

Senior Andy Hinz said the bus is an appealing and helpful tool in finance.

“It helps future graduates with education and employment opportunities,” Hinz said.

The purpose of the visit to UW-Eau Claire is a little more specialized than a general financial lesson, Hughes said.

The educational sessions held at Eau Claire Tuesday were intended for mainly junior- and senior-level finance students, Hughes said.

The event served as a chance for those students to get an up-close view of the sophisticated financial instruments used by banks, he said.

The demonstration also exhibited the variety of employment opportunities available in the field of finance.

The idea of the event was to give students a closer look at a possible career, said Ralph Miller, president of Wells Fargo banks in the Chippewa Valley area.

“We hope that students will learn an appreciation for the marketing, technology and finance applications in a financial services career.”