Produced by: Jennifer Lubell
September 1, 2017
Throughout her quarter century long career as a teacher and researcher, Anna Martin has always been concerned with combining the theoretical with the practical. In her decade at Tobin, the Alois J. Theis Endowed Chair in Global Finance has pursued that objective by immersing her students in real-world analyses and data, weaving in finance research and contemporary topics as part of the curriculum.
Looking for different ways to promote student activities related to the practice of finance at Tobin while preparing them for successful careers, Martin hit upon the idea of the Applied Finance Institute, which provides fellowships to promising graduate and undergraduate students.
The AFI Fellows program encourages high-achieving finance students to gain recognition and applied finance experiences, and to pursue industry certifications such as the Chartered Financial Analyst. The program also sponsors research initiatives that bridge theory and practice.
“It is important to explain the way finance works in theory, but it’s also important for students to experience what finance research shows and what the data actually reveal,” said Martin. “AFI emphasizes REAL finance – relevance, experience, application and learning.”
Applications are now open for all interested students in the MS Finance program, those with a finance concentration in the MBA program, and for all interested undergraduates with a major or minor in finance.
All AFI student fellows who meet the requirements will receive a certificate of completion and have access to a number of benefits. The institute will offer sponsorship to undergraduate and graduate students for a prep course and study materials for the CFA exam.
Fellows can apply for scholarships to experience London through a Global Destination Course and attend the Global Asset Management Education Forum. Opportunities also exist to participate in competitions such as the ETF Global Portfolio Challenge, the CME Group Trading Challenge, the CFA Institute Research Challenge and the ACG Cup.
A version of this article will appear in the Fall 2017 issue of St. John’s Business.