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University of Maryland Business
School Launches Global Equity Fund
Part-time MBA Students to Focus on Global Market Investments
College Park, Md. – July 22, 2009 – The University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business announced the launch of the
Global Equity Fund, to be managed by 10 finance
students in the school’s part-time MBA and
Master of Science in Business: Finance programs. The global fund will begin
this fall and hold investments primarily in equity markets outside the United
States.
The limited-enrollment fund gives students the chance to research companies
and manage and invest from the school’s endowment fund. The fund managers’ goal
is to outperform the Morgan Stanley Capital International World Index, with an
equal emphasis on learning the processes by which investment decisions are made
in a professional asset-management setting. With its unique focus on
international markets, global fund team members will need to evaluate political
and currency risk, analyze country and industry conditions, and implement
stock-selection models. The fund will pay dividends to the Dean’s Office each
year, to be invested in school programs.
“This fund offers our top students a real hands-on opportunity to understand
the interconnectedness of global financial markets,” said G. “Anand”
Anandalingam, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “In applying what
they’ve learned in their finance classes to actual investment decisions and
managing real money, our students will gain a competitive edge as business
leaders with analytical skills and a first-hand understanding of the evolving
global financial landscape.”
The program is modeled after the Smith School’s successful
Mayer Fund, a $2 million portfolio managed by full-time
MBA students that consistently beats it benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. It is a
follow-on to the equally successful undergraduate-managed
Lemma Senbet Fund introduced in 2006.
In a course that meets once per week for an entire academic year at Smith’s
Washington, D.C. campus at the Ronald Reagan Building, students gain
unparalleled financial knowledge, including exposure to asset management and
financial modeling. They use and apply tools in the Smith School’s Financial
Markets Lab and develop leadership skills, all of which are particularly
attractive to potential employers.
Participating students are assigned roles in operating the fund, either as
portfolio managers or equity analysts specializing in a specific geographic area
or industry such as technology or telecommunications. Applicants are selected
based on several criteria including analytical abilities and communication
skills. More information about the fund is available
online.
About the University of Maryland’s Robert H.
Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader
in management education and research. One of 13 colleges and schools at the
University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate,
full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, MS, PhD, and executive education
programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school
offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in
North America and Asia.
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