WMU teaches financial markets in new Trading Room

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, October 16, 2014

WMU Trading Room

Like Wall Street

In the main corridor of Schneider Hall on the Western Michigan University campus students can now experience something of Wall Street.

Stock prices scroll across an electronic ticker. Bloomberg and Morningstar terminals provide real-time information as the market moves. And world news updates can be seen on large screens at the front of the Greenleaf Trust Trading Room.

"This space transforms what we are able to do with our students in terms of teaching about the financial markets," says Dr. Devrim Yaman, chair of the Department of Finance and Commercial Law.

Yaman says the U.S. Department of Labor predicts employment in investment and related fields will expand 25 percent by 2020, so it is critical that WMU fully educate students in the wide range of financial assets available for trade and the globalization of securities markets.

The Student Managed Investment Fund, which has served as a large cap manager of a portion of WMU Foundation Funds since 2009 is just one of the classes that will make use of the Trading Room. The fund is managed by a select group of business students and has more than doubled in the last five years, reaching a current value of $1 million.

The room is a gift of Greenleaf Trust and the university says it is very grateful to them for making the space a reality.

"The gift of this trading room allows us to improve the student experience in so many vital ways," says Dr. Kay Palan, dean of the Haworth College of Business. "The facility improves student readiness for careers in the financial sector through an enriched classroom experience, and it allows students to heighten their analytical skills."

The Haworth College of Business will host a grand opening celebration of the Greenleaf Trust Trading Room at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27. Campus and community members are invited to tour the facility and learn more about it. Those interested in attending should RSVP by calling (269) 387-6059 or by send email here.

Source: Stacey Markin, Western Michigan University

Colored ticker board on black, Copyright AshDesign