First Annual Investment Management Conference Attracts Both Students and Professionals

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 University 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.