Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 3612 Langdale College of Business Just five years ago, the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art Financial Trading Center (FTC). This center holds interactive four- panel 46” LCD displays, computer stations with double-monitors, and an 8.2’ by 16’ full-color LED ticker display mounted outside the facility. In the last five years, the FTC has provided a hands-on trading experience to the business administration students and has served as part of a comprehensive plan for a student-managed portfolio. This center, which is one of a few located in the southern region of the United States, is the only FTC on a university campus in the state that allows students to use real money for trading. “Learning to invest is like learning a foreign language,” said Dr. Aktas, professor of finance. “It is important that anyone who wants to invest gets the proper exposure and familiarity with the market conditions.” In this trading room, named after Southeastern Credit Union, the initial sponsor of the trading center, Valdosta State University business THE PROOF is in the Portfolio school students apply textbook teachings in a more practical setting. Dr. Aktas coaches these students to analyze the latest stock quotes, compare currency exchange rates, and evaluate company fundamentals, just as investors on Wall Street would. “I cannot stress enough the difference in the eyes, posture and talk of my students who get involved in this versus those who do not,” said Aktas. “They are really confident because they realize they are part of a real experience. They are not talking about some formula they learned in a textbook. They are talking about a real experience. This is something that I cannot provide them in years of classroom instruction.” Students involved in this programmatic opportunity express the enrichment of knowledge gained through their experience. “The Financial Trading Center is so much more than a room with a stock ticker and fancy touch screen computers,” said Joel Brown, a VSU business student graduate. “It is a place that allows students to plug directly into financial markets through active discussion and hands-on experience. I have been a member of the Valdosta State University Investment Group (VSIG) since 2013 and in the months leading up to my graduation, I was afforded the opportunity to head up various sectors and the fund as a whole. From that experience I gained a wealth of knowledge regarding investments, leadership, and team building. Since graduating in May of 2014, I have been working for the Department of Banking and Finance which has employed several members of VSIG. Both friendships and partnerships have been forged from the networking that flourished within VSIG.” The experience is not restricted to the Financial Trading Center. In the spring of each year, VSIG members have the opportunity to travel to New York and attend the Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education Forum. The Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education (G.A.M.E.) Forum is a three day conference sponsored by Quinnipiac University. It is intended to bring an international group of current and future leaders from the financial industry together to explore important developments, challenges, and opportunities facing investment professionals within our global financial markets. A student- managed portfolio competition is 12 Langdale College of Business