Steve Wilson
Extension Instructor
Director, Investment Management Initiative
Finance
EDUCATION
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE- THE WHARTON SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA 1981 CUM LAUDE
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION-NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 1985
CHARTERED FINANCIAL ANALYST 1985
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Global Equity Research, Portfolio Management, Corporate Valuation, Competitive Analysis, Corporate Strategic Assessment
BIOGRAPHY
CLASSES TAUGHT
FNCE 4895 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF INVESTMENT ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH
FNCE 4895 APPLIED INVESTMENT ANALYSIS-MANAGING THE OPPORTUNTITY FUND
What’s it All About-The Opportunity Fund Initiative
This past summer, after decades of working on Wall Street, I decided it was time I did something about the lack of representation and diversity in the investment management industry. I presented a plan to the President and the Dean of the Business School at the University of Connecticut to expand its current Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) program to go broader and deeper into the current student body, and to share the invaluable experience of managing money in the stock market to as many students as possible. I have taken on this role after 43 years of managing institutional equities for a long array of blue-chip clients based both here in the US and In Europe.
At present, our business school population is 2300, but only 22 students at the main campus participated in our SMIF, less than 1%. Of that 90% were seniors and 85% were male. To address this imbalance, my plan is to target three underserved cohorts of the UCONN community: women, younger students, and underrepresented constituencies. My mission is two-fold; to serve as a bridge for the students between the textbook and Wall Street, and to increase access for a more diverse group of students to the powerful experiential learning experience of managing real money in the stock market. I knew this needed to be built over time, and so the Opportunity Fund program came to life.
Since I joined the faculty of the business school of The University of Connecticut, as the Director of the Investment Management Initiative, within the finance department, I have focused on several aspects of expanding what we can offer at the school by targeting more of the university’s students. This fall, I began teaching the basics of fundamental equity investing, in a class called The Building Blocks of Investment Analysis and Research.
The purpose of all this is to address the long-standing disadvantage too many students face as they begin their career building journey. My belief is by giving students exposure as early as possible to the world of investing, our students are not just better prepared to engage with these career opportunities but have a much stronger sense of where their true interests lie.
Having mastered the Building Blocks course which covered a distinctive blend of material in accounting, economics, finance, and capital markets, these students are now confident in the skills they have acquired and their capabilities. They have benefited from my unique perspective where I serve as a bridge between the textbook learning our students are immersed in and the real world that exists on Wall Street.
Once properly prepared in this first course the next challenge is joining the Opportunity Fund class, where they will begin managing a sliver of the University’s Endowment in the following semester. They will have the responsibility of investing money in the stock market, as I teach them how it’s done in the real world. But we are doing way more than immersing these students in the ways of Wall Street. My job is to make them job ready, which means prepare them to capture the coveted internships, that lead to the highly sought after first jobs that initiate rewarding lifelong careers in finance. The intent of this program is to give my students a leg up by exposing them to new perspectives and a richer mix of experiences. I want to broaden their horizons and further build their confidence in themselves. I want to nurture and develop their appetites for testing themselves and taking risks. All of this is designed to make them more knowledgeable, capable, stronger, and more independent and self-assured. All of this will serve them throughout their lives while making each of them standout candidates as they pursue capturing the most attractive summer and full-time employment opportunities.
I look forward to sharing my mission, my passion, and introducing you to a program like no other. WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED!
Steven M. Wilson, CFA
Director
Investment Management Initiative
School of Business
University of Connecticut
(203) 536 9450
