October 16, 2007
A stormy night didn’t dissuade a group of alumni, students, and
faculty from gathering at the Manhattan campus on October 11 to
network, hear remarks from a seasoned financial professional and
receive updates about St. John’s University’s Student Managed
Investment Fund.
Photo
Gallery
The third annual Student Managed Investment Fund Reunion drew
both past and present participants of the amazing program where
students research, analyze and make recommendations to buy and sell
securities that the University holds. The fund, which was
established in 2001, is broken into undergraduate and graduate
classes and throughout the semester the students use the knowledge
they garner to make serious, financial decisions. A portion of the
profits generated are used for scholarships and competition is
fierce to participate in what has become one of the most popular
programs within St. John’s University The Peter J. Tobin College of
Business (TCB).
The evening began with a cocktail reception where students
mingled with alumni. Jeff Lucher ’08TCB is a graduate student who
is currently participating and said he and his classmates say they
have learned a great deal under the tutelage of their professor, K.
Thomas Liaw, chair of the Economics and Finance Department. The
reunion gave him a chance to increase his learning, he said. “It’s
wonderful to interact with the members of the former teams and get
their take on what they got out of the course and where they are
now,” he said.
Binh Duong ’08TCB said she loves the classes’ real world
application. “We are learning what we will be doing in our
future jobs,” she said. Richard Krohley ’01TCB can attest to that.
He was a member of the first Student Managed Investment Fund class
and is currently an investment specialist in the Wealth Management
Division of Axa Equitable. “It actually helped me land a job once I
graduated from St. John’s,” he said. “[Being in the first class] we
had to start from scratch on learning how to manage the fund. It
was far more challenging and I am sure the students have more tools
available to them now.”
Those gathered learned about some of those tools through remarks
given by Liaw and Dean Steven Papamarcos, Ph.D. who shared
information about the new Financial Information Lab and possible
upcoming TCB programs. Following an update given on the status of
the fund from students in the undergraduate and graduate classes,
the audience sat enthralled by Erick Maronak ’97MBA, chief
investment officer and senior managing director of Victory Capital
Management in New York City. He spoke about the investment
management industry and engaged in a lively and informative
question and answer session. “It’s one thing to have a mock
portfolio but it’s something completely different to actually apply
it to a live portfolio,” he said. “I think it’s better preparation
for what they will hopefully face in the future if that’s the path
they choose to pursue.”
The Student Managed Investment Fund was established thanks to
generous seed grants from James Riley ’74CBA, ’75MBA, ’03HON and
Thomas McInerney ’64UC, ’01HON.