UNK Students Gain Real-World Investment Experience
At the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), finance students are gaining more than textbook knowledge. Through a unique program, upper-level students manage a real investment portfolio worth approximately $400,000, giving them invaluable hands-on experience in the world of finance.
The William L. Bauhard Student Managed Investment Fund was launched in 2014 with an initial gift of $100,000. Since then, it has grown both in value and in significance as a cornerstone of UNK’s finance curriculum. Students enrolled in the university’s investments and portfolio management courses take on the roles of professional portfolio managers, engaging in everything from equity research to real-time trading.
Simulating a Real Investment Firm
UNK finance professor Suzanne Hayes, who serves as faculty adviser for the fund, emphasizes that education is the program’s primary goal. “The purpose of having the fund is for students to gain those critical-thinking, communication and decision-making skills that employers are looking for,” Hayes explained. “The secondary objective is to match the return of our benchmark portfolio.”
That benchmark is the S&P 500 index, a standard the student-run portfolio has matched nearly every year since the fund’s inception. The fund is an all-equity portfolio diversified across around 60 holdings, including blue-chip stocks such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, PepsiCo and Bank of America.
Serious Stakes, Serious Learning
For students like Nathan Grabenstein, a senior studying business administration with a finance emphasis, the fact that they are managing real money makes the experience all the more impactful. “If you’re just doing theoretical or fake transactions, you wouldn’t take it as seriously,” he said.
Connor Reeson, a senior majoring in accounting and finance, highlighted the collaborative nature of the classroom environment. “We meet as a class and decide whether to hold, buy or sell stocks and how much to invest,” he said. “That’s something that can take you a lot further than just learning it on your own, because you need to be able to work in a group setting and make decisions that are best for the company as a whole.”
Comparable to an Internship
UNK senior Nolan Wetovick, who is studying finance and political science, likened the experience to an internship. “It’s especially important for finance students, because it can be harder to get an internship with a financial adviser,” he noted. “This gives you that real-world experience – analyzing companies, presenting ideas and being accountable for the outcomes. It’s definitely a unique opportunity.”
The course spans two semesters. Students begin with fundamental analysis and gradually move into multiple rounds of stock pitching. Weekly updates on market trends and sector-specific reports ensure that participants remain engaged with current financial events. The focus on long-term investing strategies and fundamental analysis helps students avoid the pitfalls of short-term speculation.
Beyond the Numbers: Ethics and Accountability
Hayes insists that professionalism, accountability and ethics are just as important as financial performance. Students are required to prepare annual reports for donors, write thank-you notes, and reflect on their experience. “They feel a responsibility to those donors,” she said. “I run the class like a professional investment company. I treat these students as portfolio managers, and they take that responsibility seriously.”
This sense of responsibility also extends to the fund’s future. Hayes envisions using a portion of the portfolio’s earnings to establish scholarships for future finance students, further reinforcing the program’s educational mission.
Reeson, who plans to become a certified public accountant, said the ethical component is always top of mind. “You kind of have an ethical requirement to do well. You don’t personally get the money, but you don’t want to give a bad stock pitch or make a careless decision,” he said.
Wetovick is preparing for law school, while Grabenstein is exploring careers in agricultural banking and financial advising. All three students agree that the experience will be instrumental in their future careers. “This experience helps us grow into professionals, and that means more than getting anything financially from the fund,” said Grabenstein. “What we’re doing now will directly translate into our post-grad work.”
Support and Legacy
The fund was established through the University of Nebraska Foundation with a leadership gift of $90,000 from the late Bill Bauhard, a UNK alumnus and former executive in financial services and telecommunications. Additional contributions came from Jack Connealy of JFC Financial Services, certified financial planner Ron Eckloff, the Financial Leaders Student Association, the Wells Fargo Foundation, and Securities America of Kearney.
For Hayes, the most rewarding part of overseeing the fund is witnessing the growth in her students. “It’s experiential learning at its finest,” she said. “It’s rare that students have the opportunity to make decisions that have a real-world, monetary impact. And they rise to that challenge.”
This article is inspired by content from Original Source. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.