Members of STAR at the RISE Conference
You may have heard about Student Trading and Research, one of COBA’s student organizations. In fact, you may even have heard about the fact that they manage half a million dollars of ACU’s endowment.
However, you probably haven’t heard about the recent opportunity STAR portfolio managers had to attend the Redefining Investment Strategy Education (RISE) Conference at the University of Dayton.
Dr. Terry Pope, who led this trip, explained that,
“Day one comprises panel discussions with recognized experts regarding the economy and financial markets. Day two comprises break-out sessions led by practitioners covering a host of topics of interest to the investment community.”
Whitney Stevens, a junior accounting and finance major who participated in the trip, said she was incredibly impressed with this year’s list of speakers, which included the following:
CHARLES L. EVANS, PH.D., President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
DENNIS P. LOCKHART, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
ROGER W. FERGUSON, JR., PH.D., President & CEO, TIAA-CREF
ROBERT S. KAPITO, President & Director, BlackRock
STEPHANIE LINK, CIO & Co-Portfolio Manager, TheStreet, Inc.
LIZ ANN SONDERS, Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Strategist, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
FRED TOMCZYK, President & CEO, TD Ameritrade
Participating in this experience had a big impact on Whitney.
“This experience allowed me to correlate what I have learned in the classroom with its practical application in the finance industry,” she explained. “The advice given by the accomplished professionals alerted me to some key areas on which to focus. As my graduation date approaches it is exciting to know that my hard work in college is preparing me to be successful in my career.”
Dr. Pope understands the impact the RISE Conference can have, which is why he enjoys sponsoring the trip.
“I like taking the students to this conference because it presents the best collection of expertise of any conference available to our students,” he elaborated. “It also provides a great opportunity for our students to visit with peers from universities all over the world.”
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out STAR and the great things they’re doing here on campus!