Hobart and William Smith Colleges will install 12 Bloomberg Terminals this fall, giving students access to real-time market data, company research and professional financial analytics.
The systems will support coursework, career preparation and student teams entering Bloomberg's monthlong Global Trading Challenge with a $1 million virtual portfolio, the colleges announced.
The terminals are being funded through the new Melly Institute for Business, Innovation and Leadership, established with a $70 million gift from L. Thomas Melly and Judith Hershey Melly. They will be installed temporarily in the Warren Hunting Smith Library before moving to a dedicated Bloomberg Lab in Williams Hall.
Students will be able to track live prices, quotes and trading volume, research companies and securities, make simulated trades and build financial models. HWS said familiarity with the system can help students arrive at internships and entry-level finance jobs with experience using an industry-standard platform.
Bloomberg relationship manager and HWS graduate Kelsie Worth will demonstrate the system from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in the library's Barron Computer Lab. The event will also cover her path from HWS to Bloomberg.
Economics students Tru Styles and Conor Lally, both members of the Class of 2027, spent the summer as analytics and sales interns at Bloomberg's New York headquarters. They will return to campus as Melly Fellows and help other students learn the system.
Assistant professor Shanxiang Yang plans to use Bloomberg data and analytics in a corporate finance project examining governance, investment and financing decisions. His students will also complete Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals, a certification covering investing, risk and portfolio management.
Associate professor H. Evren Damar is using Bloomberg Market Concepts certification in his Money and Financial Markets course. HWS said faculty can also incorporate economic indicators, financial news and professional analytics into assignments across the curriculum.
The terminals arrive as other parts of the Melly Institute take shape. Yang and assistant professor Bryan Adams joined the colleges as endowed chairs, Pamela Young became executive director in August and the first floor of Williams Hall is being renovated for the institute.
For the Global Trading Challenge, teams of two to five students develop a strategy and manage a virtual portfolio against more than 2,000 teams worldwide. Performance is measured by time-weighted return against Bloomberg's World Large, Mid & Small Cap Price Return Index.
Teams must register by Oct. 4, and the competition runs from Oct. 12 through Nov. 13. Winners are scheduled to be announced Nov. 20, with prizes including iPad Pros for team members and faculty advisers, recruiting-network opportunities and participant certificates.
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