Loyola's Financial Management Association chapter embraces experiential learning
Loyola's Financial Management Association (FMA) student chapter has enjoyed a busy activities schedule during the Fall 2016 semester, visiting numerous financial institutions and hosting events on campus. 
On October 7th, the Loyola FMA, led by the faculty advisor, Dr. Tuugi Chuluun, visited the financial hub of New York City. Over the course of the day students visited Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), and Bloomberg, and spoke with various individuals at these companies, including many Loyola alumni.
At Brown Brothers, students met with a panel and discussed different aspects of the contemporary banking industry. An interesting common theme of how private banks like BBH differ from large publicly traded ones was raised often during the discussion. At JPMorgan, students met with a panel of recent Loyola alumni who work in the various divisions of JPM and discussed both the business aspects of the firm as well as career development in general. At Bloomberg, students toured the global headquarters and also received a training in Bloomberg platforms.
On October 18th, the FMA hosted its "Path to Wall Street Panel Event" featuring several members of Loyola's Board of Trustees who came to speak to Loyola students interested in pursuing careers on Wall Street. These board members hold senior positions in their respective companies and have a wealth of experience on Wall Street. James Forbes, current Vice Chairman of UBS Group, Bank of America’s Managing Director, Kevin Finnerty, and co-founder of Galton Capital Holdings LLC, J Richard Fredericks all shared stories about their personal experience on Wall Street, including how they obtained their entry level roles, stressing students’ likelihood of working on Wall Street would be greatly increased if they could secure an analyst internship. James Forbes opened the crowd up by asking students questions like “Why do you want to work on Wall Street?” “What particular sectors of the markets do you find most interesting?” etc., and asked a succession of related rapid-fire questions to show students how fast paced the interviewers on Wall Street operate and stressing the need to be prepared. Following a presentation about qualities Wall Street companies look for in their candidates, the trustees opened the floor to questions from the audience. Students had several questions for the trustees, and many stayed after the event concluded to ask more detailed questions.
On October 26, members of the FMA and other Loyola undergraduate students visited Campbell & Company. Campbell is a systematic, quantitative investment firm and the largest hedge fund in the Baltimore area. Students toured the trading floor and met with Mike Harris, President of Campbell and a frequent guest on CNBC. Mr. Harris shared a thought-provoking talk to students that provided an in-depth analysis of the financial markets.
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The Loyola FMA Student Chapter has been supported by the Department of Finance since 1985, and received its most recent designation a "Superior Chapter" for the 2015-16 academic year. The Student Chapter provides opportunities for professional interaction between and among academics, practitioners, and students while promoting the development and understanding of basic and applied research and of sound financial practices.