The Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County has decided to partner with IU Southeast on a project to establish a student investment fund which will provide real world experience in investment portfolio management.
The foundation will be established in the School of Business with a $100,000 fund from the Horseshoe Foundation. This is the first time IU Southeast has partnered with a foundation with such a large investment fund.
Jay White, dean of the School of Business, said the money will be used to create a portfolio. The portfolio will be combined with a class teaching students how to make decisions about buying securities as well as selling securities.
White said he previously spoke to Jerry Finn, head of the Horseshoe Foundation, years ago about the concept. However, it was not until the School of Business finished the Financial Markets Lab that Finn contacted White agreeing to support a student trading fund.
The Financial Markets Lab provides updated technology to give students the idea of working on Wall Street.
“I know many of you may ask yourself why is this happening now?” White said. “This investment would have been a part of IU Southeast years ago. The concept had been growing around the nation.”
The money will be going to students in the School of Business to make investment decisions as they would in the real world with real money.
The Horseshoe Foundation’s focus is to benefit residents of Floyd County. They also provide additional funding for community foundations all over Floyd County.
“We’ve recognized IU Southeast as one of the premier business schools in the region, country, period,” Finn said. “We’ve done a lot to find an innovative way to provide greater learning. The investment fund is another tool to help do that. Our decision wasn’t competitive.”
New developments that will come out of this project will be an added graduate course to the curriculum which did not exist before. The School of Business may also add an undergraduate course down the road.
Overall, the goal is to expand.
White said he is very happy with the decision.
“Part of our mission, or all campus’ for that matter, is to give students more of an applied hands-on experience while they are getting their education,” White said. “This investment well definitely give the students a leg up in the business world.”
White said other goals include making the current fund grow or possibly getting an additional one with another organization.
By TALIAH SHABAZZ
Staff
tshabazz@ius.edu
