A standing room only crowd of students, faculty and
professionals from the financial industry was present at the first
annual Conference on Investment Management sponsored by the
Economics and Finance Department of St. John’s The Peter J. Tobin
College of Business on March 11. Conceived as a way to
introduce students to the world of financial analysis and to better
equip them for careers in the financial world, the conference was
held at St. John's Manhattan campus, just blocks away from the
World Financial Center and the New York Stock Exchange.
Keynote speaker Fred Leuffer, Senior Managing Director of Bear
Stearns and one of the top oil analysts in the world,
discussed the effect of rising oil prices on the international
markets. Leuffer told the conference participants that to be a
successful analyst, one needs to understand the industry data, but
also its climate, suggesting that much of oil's price level is due
to fear and uncertainty in world affairs. Leuffer also felt that
opportunities for students, such as student managed investment
funds and the NYSSA Career Program, which help students get
involved in the real work of finance and analysis, give students an
advantage in the workplace.
As part of the conference's afternoon session, a faculty panel
discussed student managed investment funds, one of the highlights
of the conference. St. John’s professors Keith Moore and Therese
Pactwa, who help manage St. John's Student Management
Investment Fund, participated in the panel along with faculty
from Quinnipiac, Pace and Roger Williams Universities and discussed
what it takes to participate in a fund management class, from
analysis and reporting, to the thrill of buying and selling for
real and the resulting responsibility.
Professor Pactwa also discussed the NYSSA Career Program (New York
Society of Security Analysts), highlighting the immense benefits of
the relationship that has been developed between the industry and
universities. Students receive the opportunity to mentor with real
analysts, visiting them in their offices
and presenting their work in front of industry
leaders.
Response from the student attendees was overwhelmingly positive,
with many commenting on how much they learned and the usefulness of
the presentations. Evaluation sheets were distributed and will be
used as a tool to plan the Second Annual Investment Management
Conference scheduled for 2006.