The CME Group Foundation, the philanthropic division of CME Group Inc (NASDAQ:CME) that supports educational initiatives has awarded a $50,000 grant to Saint Xavier University’s Graham School of Management (GSM) to further support its state-of-the-art finance curriculum, particularly in the derivatives area.
This is the second grant the Foundation has awarded to the university; an initial grant of $100,000 from the Foundation enabled the Graham School of Management to build a solid base for the Center for the Study of Financial Markets and Derivatives (CSFMD).
Further, it enabled the GSM to develop and advance an ambitious vision for finance education at SXU.
Finance faculty will continue to develop real-world applications using FactSet, a leading financial analytics software used by investment and hedge funds managers. The innovative teaching techniques will provide students with an in-depth understanding of trading, risk management, and investment management to prepare them for successful careers in business and finance.
“CME Group Foundation is pleased to provide support to Saint Xavier to enhance its curriculum and provide real-life examples for students,” said Kassie Davis, Director of the CME Group Foundation.”
“Learning finance is personal and real here, and we strive to give students a value-added curriculum,” says Professor Monzurul Hoque. “To get two consecutive grants from the CME Group Foundation is a testimony to the fact that we have a finance program that is worthy of support from reputable external agencies.”
SXU is one of only a handful of schools in Chicago that offer this type of hands-on experience, and its AACSB accredited business program has the highest percentage of first-generation college students and Pell Grant recipients.
The grant will also support the development of public programming, strategic partnerships with the business community, and continued partnerships with local high schools; this is the third summer that the Graham School of Management is offering the Emerging Scholars in Finance workshop series. In a two-day class, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of trading in stocks, bonds, and futures.
These high-school students will have the unique opportunity to use FactSet in Saint Xavier’s SCFMD, just as GSM students do. The course, called Introduction to Financial Markets & Trading, will be held at CSFMD June 8 and 9 and will be taught by Drs. Monzur Hoque and Muhammad Chishty.
For the official announcement from CME Group, click here,