Kelley alumni investment produces new student course

The Kelley School of Business has created a new learning program that will enable undergraduate students to invest real money.

The experiential program was created through a $100,000 donation from IU and School of Business alumni David Knall and Jeff Cohen.

Kelley Dean Dan Smith said the fund will be used in an asset portfolio management class and will prepare business students for managing financial portfolios.

“Having a real investment fund managed by students with faculty oversight is an excellent way for students to appreciate the complexities of today’s financial markets,” Smith said.

“As we’ve learned over the last several years, there is a significant need for more financial education,” Knall said in the press release. “The fund will give students real-world experience that will help them to develop the skills necessary to be competitive in the global economy.”

The donation will create an investment portfolio that allows students to conduct research and analysis in order to understand the financial decision process.

“Any returns generated from the fund will be returned to the fund,” Smith said. “One of the key metrics of student performance will be how the fund grows over time.”

Students who are in their junior year will be eligible to participate in the program as an analyst in the fund. School of Business faculty members who specialize in investment will choose from the pool of students who apply.

The fund will enable the business school to continue to attract the world’s top
students, Smith said.

“This gift is truly special in that it will allow our students to better compete in the marketplace with students from other top programs that have long had actual student-run investment funds,” Smith said. “Kelley students involved with the fund will be able to hit the ground running right out of school.”

— Katie Dawson