On Friday, April 12th, the 6th annual finance alumni/AIM forum was held at Marquette University. The event featured a panel of finance and economics experts who discussed macro-economic issues before a group of about 50 alumni and students. Following the panel discussion, 9 newly enrolled students in the AIM program pitched stocks before a group of about 100 students, faculty, and guests (go to: AIM website for a pdf of the write-ups).
Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, served as the forum moderator. As in previous events, this year’s panel discussion was conducted in a format similar to the Davos World Economic Forum. Dr. Krause engaged the special guests in an open conversation about major financial and economic topics.
The panelists included:
• Jim Bianco, Bus Ad. ’84, President, Bianco Research, Chicago
• Joe Daniels, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Marquette University
• Kevin Gibbons, Bus Ad. ’93, Managing Director, Commercial/Specialty Lending, Capital One, Chicago
• Tom Eggers Comm ’73-77, Lead Director, Calamos Investments, Chicago
The topics discussed included: contributions of Margaret Thatcher; Cyprus/Europe financial situation; Bank of Japan actions; U.S. Federal Reserve policy; U.S. jobs and housing outlook; North Korea; China fiscal policy; U.S. regulatory environment; and financial market activity.
The topics were wide ranging and members of the audience were able to interact and ask questions of the panelists. A reception followed the forum where students had an opportunity to network with the panelist and guests. It was another successful event that brought major thought-leaders back to Marquette’s campus.
The 6th Annual “Ins and Outs of Wall Street” Was Again a Success
The Applied Investment Management (AIM) program and the Marquette finance alumni sponsored and facilitated the 6th annual ‘Ins and Outs of Wall Street’ event. The gathering was held on Saturday, April 13th, at Marquette’s College of Business Administration. Over 40 alumni and 140 students attended the event – which was the most successful event to date, according to Dr. Krause.
Following a welcome by Dr. Krause and an invocation by Father Bieganowski S.J., the event was turned over to the alumni who provided the students with information about the various functional areas of finance. Students learned about career opportunities in the following functional areas:
1. Investment Banking
2. Sales & Trading
3. Wealth Management
4. Investment Research & Asset Management
5. Alternative Investments (Private Equity & Hedge Funds)
6. Risk Management and Compliance
The second part of the Ins and Outs event was a series of breakout sessions which provided students with an opportunity to engage in a more in-depth discussion with alumni. The breakout sessions focused on the six functional areas – as well as a special session conducted by Tom Eggers that was entitled “So You Want to be in Asset Management?”
Following lunch, various alumni provided real world advice on how to prepare for a career in finance. The session included specific advice on interviewing skills, recommended business apparel, and mock interviews. The event concluded with a networking session with alumni. Dr. Krause stated, “We are very thankful for the involvement of our alumni in organizing and supporting this event. Networking is the key to job search success and this Ins and Outs event provides an excellent opportunity for our students to interact with leading experts from the financial industry. This was just an outstanding day for our students - the alumni were again generous with the time they spent with our students."
