By Sara Tompkins
Staff Writer
As the new semester comes into full swing, the Marywood business community has moved toward technological advancement. The Business and Managerial Sciences Department received a $92,000 grant from the Wall Street West Foundation; that funding should enhance the University’s finance program.
The Wall Street West Foundation has given more than $6 million in grants to high schools and universities across Pennsylvania. Marywood was the only university to receive the money to create a new program in Financial Information Systems.
That’s just half of it. Marywood also plans to renovate a classroom in the McGowan Center into a real-time business lab. Complete with a constant stock ticker, 20 new computers, and up-to-date financial software; the new business lab will help students get the knowledge they need for the financial workforce. Also, the high-tech lab will work hand-in-hand with the student-run portfolio, the Pacer Investment Fund.
The business department created the Pacer Investment Fund seeking to provide students with a solid knowledge of dealing with a stock portfolio. Students deal with actual money from investors and track their stocks. Along with handling real money, business students will also have to observe the performance of the investor’s stock.
“With the new technology purchased this year, students will have a better grasp on what it’s like to deal with real-time finance,” said Dr. Art Comstock, associate professor of business.“The grant will provide students with the knowledge and power to control the fund, as well as gain the skills they will need to progress throughout their career.”
With plans to construct the lab underway, the business department, along with the rest of the Marywood, is eager to see what kind of opportunities it brings.
“The new lab will prepare students for the future of finance,” Dr. Comstock said. “It will showcase Marywood’s commitment to educating our students and surrounding communities.”