KU to honor alumnus Bob Swift for finance education nonprofit work

KU is set to recognize an alumnus whose latest work reaches far beyond campus, into the kind of financial decisions that can shape a young adult’s future in Lawrence and across Douglas County. Bob Swift will receive the School of Education & Human Sciences’ highest alumni honor for a career that now includes helping students and young adults build money skills, mentorship and long-term stability.

The school will present Swift with its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award during spring convocation at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Allen Fieldhouse. KU says the award is reserved for graduates who have shown ongoing, exceptional professional, academic or research achievement and community contribution at the local, state, national or international levels. KU’s university-wide Commencement follows on Sunday, May 17, at 10:30 a.m. at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Swift’s KU story began with a full-ride football scholarship. He graduated in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in education, then went on to build a career in wealth management. In 1990, he founded TCI Wealth Advisors, which the firm says has grown into one of the largest independent RIA firms in the West.

What gives this honor particular local weight is Swift’s nonprofit work. In 2016, he founded 3rd Decade to help adults ages 18 to 35 learn personal finance through a two-year program built around classes and one-on-one mentoring. In some cases, participants who complete the program receive a $1,000 Roth IRA contribution. One profile says the organization has served more than 1,000 young adults.

KU became the first university in the country to pilot the 3rd Decade program, tying Swift’s post-career work directly back to the school that helped launch him. The organization’s approach has also earned national recognition: 3rd Decade received AFCPE’s 2024 Outstanding Educational Program of the Year award.

Rick Ginsberg, who has served as dean of the School of Education & Human Sciences since August 2005, praised Swift for returning to help students build a healthy financial future. Swift has said his education degree shaped how he connected with clients and how he thought about financial security, a reminder that the impact of KU’s schools can reach well past a diploma. For Lawrence-area students and young adults facing tuition, rent and debt decisions now, Swift’s work turns alumni recognition into a practical lesson in financial literacy.