The Student Investment Fund, previously known as the Garnet Group, manages a portion of Union College’s endowment, valued at roughly $750,000. Established in 1986 through the generosity of Heinz and Ruthe Eppler, parents of Nancy Eppler Wolff ’75 and David Eppler ’82, the club sought to provide the opportunity for students to learn how to manage a portfolio. The SIF recently initiated its practicum, ISC 111: Portfolio Management. The club and the practicum work in tandem with each other to provide experiential learning to the students.
The need for a practicum arose due to the lack of a finance or business program at Union. Through ISC 111, the students are responsible for monitoring the fund’s performance, asset allocation, security selection, and governance. The transition from being just a club to a practicum has led to the fund being more actively managed with Union Economics faculty overseeing and guiding the students. In previous years, participation and attendance in the club used to dwindle after the first session. However, the co-presidents and faculty were overjoyed to see a full meeting room at Karp 105 week 4. Especially, Veronica Lopez ‘25 who attended the meeting via Zoom as she is currently on a term abroad in Brazil.
Students at the club take on positions in the club such as sector leader, sector analyst, marketing and communications, alumni relations, treasury, and social governance. Industries such as technology, financial services, energy, real estate, and markets such as Fixed Income and Exchange Traded Funds each have their own team of analysts that conduct investment pitches, divestment pitches, industry research reports, and recommendations on voting shares owned by the fund.
“There is a place for everyone at the club and there is a need to amalgamate diversity of thought by different majors’’ said Professor Arora. Environmental Policy majors could take on roles such as environmental and social governance analysts and share their input on green energy and how that could impact stock prices. Political Science majors could explain government decisions’ impact on stocks and industries that it could affect.
Actively participating in the club across three trimesters leads to 1 credit.“Reprioritization has led to professional development being complemented by education on technical skills” said co-president Baruch Haba-Kiiza ‘25. This process has led to an increase in interest and participation.
The practicum mainly revolves around presentations by its members. Concepts and skills such as stock pitching and valuation will be taught to students. The club holds stocks such as Amazon, Google, Apple, Netflix, Walmart and Spotify.
Being part of the club or practicum also provides networking opportunities and conversations with alumni. “As co-president, my main goal is to help members learn what it takes to secure a job in the competitive industry of finance” remarked Jake Ben-Ishay’24
The practicum is by the students, of the students and for the students, wherein the faculty plays a facilitator.“For anyone passionate about finance, it is an absolute must to join SIF. The learning environment, networking possibilities, and experience one obtains are priceless. SIF is quite literally the place to be” says Jay Hariharan ’27. The practicum will be mentored by Professor Arora this fall, Professor Dvorak in the winter, and Professor Rodriguez in the spring.