Ouachita finance students win national G.A.M.E. Forum competition for management of Ary Student Investment Fund
April 10, 2019
- Rachel MorenoTwelve Ouachita Baptist University finance students were named first place winners
at the ninth annual Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education (G.A.M.E.) Forum
held March 28-30 in New York City. Ouachita was awarded first place in the intercollegiate
competition’s undergraduate value investment category for the group’s management of
the Ary Student Investment Fund, a Ouachita stock portfolio of approximately $1.2
million.
The Quinnipiac G.A.M.E. Forum is the largest conference in the world for student-managed
fund teams. Each spring, the three-day forum gathers world-renowned industry leaders
to share their expertise and discuss financial best practices with undergraduate and
graduate students. This year, there were 1,500 college students participating, representing
50 countries and 154 colleges and universities.
Ouachita’s Ary Student Investment Fund team is responsible for the investment of a
stock portfolio of $1.2 million, most of which is funded by the university’s endowment
funds. The team meets each week to discuss current holdings, with each analyst monitoring
and recommending alternatives to existing holdings, in order to match or exceed the
return on the market benchmark.
"I couldn't be more proud of our team,” said Dr. Chris Brune, faculty advisor for
Ouachita’s Ary Fund, associate professor of finance and holder of the George Young
Chair of Business. “They're smart, they work hard and they take their responsibility
seriously. But I'm most proud of who they are and how they represent Ouachita and
the Hickingbotham School of Business."
“Winning this award was such a great opportunity and powerfully reinforced that hard
work and teamwork does have wonderful results,” said Chandler Ferrell, a senior finance
major from White Hall, Ark., and portfolio manager for the team this year. “I would
like to thank Ouachita for giving students an opportunity to manage and apply their
classroom skills to part of its endowment.”
The student investment fund competition was based on risk-adjusted performance for
2018 which means last year’s Ary Student Investment Fund team also played a role
since membership shifts as seniors graduate each May.
“After all of our work together, winning this award was a symbol of being a part of
something bigger than us,” said Lauren Lovelady, a senior finance major from Hot Springs,
Ark. “This award is not just for our team this year, but all of the past Ary Fund
teams that have contributed and worked to make our portfolio strong.”
Ouachita’s student investment fund was first established in 2000 by Ouachita professor
Eddie Ary, who raised funds to provide a hands-on experience for students in his Investments
class. It was later renamed the Eddie and Phyllis Ary Student Investment Fund in 2012
in honor of him and his wife.
“Students obviously gain real experience in analyzing stocks and managing a portfolio,
but they are also forced to form an opinion, defend their ideas and work as part of
a team, and those are skills that will benefit them throughout their lives,” Brune
said.
“We're especially grateful to Ouachita’s president, Dr. Ben Sells, and the endowment
committee for giving us a chance to manage part of the endowment; to our dean, Bryan
McKinney, for his constant support; and to our Executive Advisory Board for making
it possible for us to travel to New York,” he added. “And most of all, we’re thankful
to God for the opportunity to be a part of such an incredible experience.”
Ouachita’s 2018-2019 Ary Student Investment Fund team includes: Josh Altenbaumer,
a senior finance major from Texarkana, Texas; Madison Brittain, a senior finance major
from Bentonville, Ark.; Abigail Brizuela, a senior finance and business administration/management
double major from San Pedro Sula, Honduras; Colton Eldridge, a senior accounting and
finance double major from Bentonville, Ark.; Mollie Eldridge, a senior accounting
and finance double major from Whitehouse, Texas; Chandler Ferrell, a senior finance
major from White Hall, Ark.; Stormi Leonard, a senior finance, Spanish and mass communications
triple major from Decatur, Texas; Lauren Lovelady, a senior finance major from Hot
Springs, Ark.; Halley Ryburn, a senior finance and accounting double major from Monticello,
Ark.; Emma Shortes, a senior accounting and finance double major from Fort Smith,
Ark.; Shannon Stribling, a senior accounting and finance double major from Rogers,
Ark.; and Matthew Ward, a senior accounting and finance double major from Fort Smith,
Ark. Tom Calhoon, adjunct professor for the Hickingbotham School of Business, is also
a faculty advisor.
Additional students who were members of the 2017-2018 team include: Amanda Abbud,
a finance and business administration/management double major from Searcy, Ark.; Jonathan
Arosemena, a finance major from Bedford, Texas; Chandler Blake, a finance and business
administration/entrepreneurship double major from Frisco, Texas; Chris Clark, a finance
and business administration/entrepreneurship double major from Arkadelphia, Ark.;
Sarah Coles, an accounting and finance double major from Van Buren, Ark.; Carlos Garcia,
a finance and business administration/marketing double major from McKinney, Texas;
Nathan Loftin, an accounting and finance double major from Colorado Springs, Colo.;
Lennart Lonnemann, an accounting and finance double major from Vechta, Germany; Braden
Lunday, an accounting and finance double major from Sheridan, Ark.; John Franklin
Matros, an accounting and finance double major from Arkadelphia, Ark.; Brady Thompson,
a finance and business administration/entrepreneurship double major from Hensley,
Ark.; Jontavis Willis, an accounting and finance double major from Strong, Ark.; and
Ben Worley, an accounting and finance double major from Camden, Ark.
For more information, contact Dr. Chris Brune at [email protected] or (870) 245-4293.
By Rachel Moreno // Ouachita’s Ary Student Investment Fund team after winning the
undergraduate value investment category at the Quinnipiac G.A.M.E. Forum in New York. Front row (left to right): Abigail Brizuela, Stormi Leonard, Emma Shortes, Mollie
Eldridge, Lauren Lovelady and Shannon Stribling. Back row: Dr. Chris Brune, Madison
Brittain, Josh Altenbaumer, Chandler Ferrell, Colton Eldridge, Matthew Ward and Halley
Ryburn. Download full size image.
April 9, 2019
You Also Might Like
Recent
