Student Managed Investment Portfolio

The Forefront of Extracurricular Education

In effort to develop leading students in the field of business and investments, IUP’s Eberly College of Business and Information Technology has sought to create a program focused on elevating the student educational experience beyond the classroom. Such an experience would allow business students to differentiate themselves and grow through applied learning.

Operating at the forefront of Eberly’s student finance organizations, the Student Managed Investment Portfolio provides members with hands-on involvement managing university assets of over $1 million. This outstanding program allows members the ability to participate in managing a real portfolio, learn applied investing skills, and gain internship-like experience all while attending IUP courses. Students will tackle collaborative, team-based projects valuing stocks to be included in SMIP’s actively managed portfolio. 

With support and fiduciary oversight by the Foundation for IUP, Eberly has been able to provide this amazing opportunity for self-motivated students looking to advance their educational careers. Student members are not registered investment advisors and do not receive compensation for work, but do gain unmatched opportunity that industry recruiters look for in business school graduates.

As a Course or an Extra-Cirricular

SMIP can be taken as an official 1.5cr course or as an extra-curricular opportunity. In either case, members will have access to lectures on Modern Portfolio Theory, Valuation, and Performance Attribution. Associated assignments will also be assigned to sector work teams to help facilitate experiential learning. Such assignments mimic the typical work flow at investment management institutions such as those managing mutual funds. Students who take part will have a realistic understanding of how active management is conducted.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

Members of SMIP also have access to Eberly’s state-of-the art Bloomberg facility, equipped with high-speed financial terminals, a group workstation, and top-of-the-line Apple TVs. Such computers are exactly what professionals use every day in firms across the US, Canada, and Asia and specifically at banks like those on Wall Street.

Students may spend time in this facility working with their investment teams to do market research and develop financial models for their investment ideas. Partnered with signature valuation lessons proctored by IUP’s own Daniel Lawson, this organization delivers a recipe for becoming a top-tier graduate at the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology.

An Inclusive Learning Environment

Two important SMIP values are member inclusiveness and overall group diversity. Each member is highly motivated to become the best in their field of study, and that passion for self-improvement is what ties SMIP members together like a family. Whether it is long hours in the Bloomberg lab working to develop DCF models, studying for a finance exam, or simply sharing ideas about finance career opportunities, members are always engaging each other building lasting and inclusive relationships. Students from all backgrounds and identities are encouraged to join SMIP.

Additionally, SMIP is always excited to take on exchange students from IUP’s undergraduate and MBA partners across the world. Eberly is rich with students from all across Asia and Europe, and SMIP is always searching to bring on new members of diverse backgrounds. Overall, this is the type of environment that SMIP strives to create, and is perfect for accelerated, extracurricular learning.

How to Join

Please contact Mitchell O'Shell at M.P.OShell@iup.edu for more information. 

2018–19 Meeting Information

General meetings will be held:

Tuesdays from 5:00–6:15 P.M.

Eberly Room 109

Member Quotes about the Value of the Organization

“The Student Managed Investment Portfolio is one of IUP’s best-kept secrets. If you have the drive and commitment to learn, we will help make you the most marketable students on campus.”

—Jack Benischeck, former CIO and president of SMIP