College of Business
Administration adds emphasis on private equity and banking
Marquette University’s
College of Business Administration is expanding its nationally acclaimed
Applied Investment Management program. The AIM program, which allows a select
group of finance majors to get hands-on academic and financial analysis
experience, including an opportunity to actively manage domestic and
international equity and fixed-income portfolios, will now comprise two tracks:
Investments and the newly developed Private Equity and Banking. The Investments
track focuses on asset management, while the Private Equity and Banking track
concentrates on private and transactional finance.
AIM is expanding as a direct
response to the increased interest from employers and finance students, and
builds off of the college’s expertise in applied business education. Nearly 70 students last year competed for the
24 coveted AIM seats, and many students nationwide choose the college
specifically for the AIM program. Firms worldwide are allocating more
investments into the private equity sphere.
According to the 2013 Wharton Private Equity Review, $200 billion of new
capital went into private equity and venture capital management partnerships
globally in 2012.
Dr. David Krause, adjunct
associate professor of finance who has led AIM since its inception in 2005, is
excited about the program’s growth. “More students will have the opportunity to
receive AIM’s rigorous education and career preparation, benefit from new
internship experiences, and achieve broader career opportunities,” he said.
Mark Zellmer tapped to co-lead new AIM track
As part of the expansion, the college has named Mark Zellmer as the new
co-director of AIM Private Equity and Banking track. A Marquette undergraduate
and MBA alumnus, Zellmer has been a popular adjunct instructor since 1995.
Chairman and majority shareholder of Northern Oak Wealth Management Inc., he
has extensive expertise in financing and investing in privately held companies,
and he will teach courses in the new track.
Zellmer will work closely
with Krause on the program’s numerous applied learning components, including
internships, career development, alumni mentorships, industry networking and
student clubs.
“I’ve worked alongside Mark
for nearly a decade, and he’s the perfect person to help lead AIM’s growth,”
Krause said. “He’s not only a seasoned industry veteran, but he’s also an
excellent, highly regarded instructor.”
One of the nation’s top
undergraduate programs in applied investment management, AIM was the first
undergraduate program to be recognized as a Chartered Financial Analyst Program
Partner. Students in the program study the core body of knowledge covered in
the CFA Level I exam – preparing them to take the test upon graduation. The
pass rate for AIM students on the CFA exam has averaged around 70 percent –
while the average global pass rate is only 38 percent. Further, AIM has had a near
perfect career placement record since its inception in 2005.
In addition to
providing an academically rigorous set of private equity and investment banking
courses, the second AIM track adds a strong element of applied learning
including:
·
summer internships within investment banks,
private equity firms, and other financial service providers,
·
opportunities for students to learn from
experienced professionals,
·
incorporation of more financial modeling and
case studies into the curriculum,
·
interaction with Marquette’s growing finance
alumni network who add provide valuable assistance in preparing students for
internships and entry level positions,
·
the ability to manage a micro-cap equity
fund,
·
use of “in the trenches” guest speakers in
the classroom to allow students to learn about real private equity and banking
experiences,
·
creation of a Private Equity & Investment
Banking Club which will provide opportunities for coaching and nurturing that
are important in helping students accelerate their careers, and
·
opportunities for students to assist in the
monitoring and evaluation of the performance of private equity investments
within various investment portfolios.
Graduates of the AIM
program will continue to be highly valued by financial services firms in the
Midwest and nationally because of their discipline, developed ‘applied’ skills,
rigorous curriculum and industry knowledge. Mark Zellmer, an experienced financial
professional and popular instructor in Marquette’s Finance Department, is the
program’s co-director and will help with the oversight of the Private Equity
& Banking track.
Contact Information:
David S. Krause, PhD Mark
Zellmer
Director, AIM Program Co-Director, Private Equity & Banking Track
david.krause@marquette.edu mark.zellmer@marquette.edu
414-288-8024 414-288-8487
Director, AIM Program Co-Director, Private Equity & Banking Track
david.krause@marquette.edu mark.zellmer@marquette.edu
414-288-8024 414-288-8487
