Real Investment for College of Charleston Students
The School of Business Strategic Investment Symposium presents students with the opportunity to network with leaders in the field and apply what they have learned in the classroom.
Above: Junior Kate Stone uses the skills she learned in the College of Charleston Investment Program to network at the Strategic Investment Symposium. (Photos by Reese Moore)
The 10th annual College of Charleston School of Business’ Strategic Investment Symposium was held at The Charleston Place on Oct. 25, 2024. The symposium, which draws financial experts from across the region and around the nation, grew out of the School of Business Investment Program, which comprises 20 students who – under the guidance of the program’s director, Mark Pyles – use actual funds to invest in order to gain hands-on experience analyzing stocks, financial modeling and global economies.
For the students, the symposium presents the opportunity to showcase what they have learned and network with leaders in the field.
“Dr. Pyles encourages us to constantly push ourselves to be the best because anything less is not acceptable by our own standards, but also, we are representing the program,” says junior Kate Stone, a finance and Spanish double major. “Everything Dr. Pyles and the Investment Program have trained me for I have used to gain professional relationships and experience. As the program’s European, Middle East and African economist and financials sector analyst, I had the opportunity to speak in front of financial professionals at the reception the night before the symposium about the current state of the European economies and the status of three important legs of the economy: inflation, growth and the labor market.
“In beautiful Randolph Hall, staring out at a crowd of people who are already established in their careers and have wisdom and experience beyond my entire life’s existence is intimidating,” she continues, “but in the program we are molded to turn nerves into excitement and lead with confidence. After I spoke, I had many professionals come up and compliment me on how well I spoke and how impressed they were of my knowledge. From there, the conversations went deeper into the growth of European capital markets, conflicts in the Middle East and the natural resources of Africa.”
Stone also took to heart the advice of Walt Green, chairman of the advisory board of the Investment Program, who said that students should take advantage of the symposium and leave with a diverse bouquet of business cards.
“I can confidently say that I have a beautiful bouquet sitting on my desk at home,” says Stone.
On the day of the symposium, Stone asked Jeannette Lowe, managing director of policy research with Strategas Securities, and Andrew Silverman, senior strategist for tax policy and M&A with Bloomberg Intelligence, their thoughts about the potential ramifications an increase in tariffs would have on the U.S. economy.
“Without the Investment Program, I know I would not have been as articulate, confident or prepared,” says Stone. “The Investment Symposium allowed me to test everything I learned and gained from the program in a professional and very real-life setting. In every conversation, opinion and question, I used everything I learned. I used my technical knowledge of the financial sector and EMEA macroeconomies to be confident while speaking in public. I used the professional and personal skills I have developed to broker relationships with financial professionals in order to secure a job post-graduation in intense, elusive and competitive industries such as private equity and investment banking.”
Stone’s experience is exactly why CofC parents Maureen and Steve Kerrigan established the Investment Program 11 years ago. They wanted students to have the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge of the classroom into real-world public and private investment activities.
“Maureen and I are so proud of the leadership Dr. Mark Pyles has provided the program,” says Steve. “We are also proud of the over 200 students who have participated and their accomplishments to date. This program has been life-changing for all of us.”
For his part, Pyles is just happy to be allowed to play a role in the development of some of the College’s best students.
“It’s simple for me,” he states. “I believe in our students. I think the best at the College is as good as the best anywhere. What often differs is the level of career-relevant training and access to the financial industry that a school can provide. The program was designed to bridge those gaps, and the symposium is a prime example of our mission.”
Thanks to the School of Business Investment Program and the Strategic Investment Symposium, students are gaining the opportunity to distinguish themselves academically, professionally and personally. The success of the hands-on experiences can be seen in the careers of its graduates who have landed some of the most competitive positions in the industry at firms including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Raymond James, Wells Fargo and Vanguard.
