Faculty of Business Administration - University of New Brunswick

The University of New Brunswick’s elite Student Investment Fund (SIF) program continues to break new ground.

On Jan. 10, students from the SIF program, along with Frank McKenna, deputy chair of TD Bank Financial, opened the market at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). TSX Group CEO Richard Nesbitt was also present for the occasion.

The students are in Toronto this week as part of an experiential learning component of the SIF program. The integration of theory and practical learning is a key element of the prestigious program.

The Student Investment Fund program is the core program within the Centre for Financial Studies, housed within the faculty of business administration at UNB Fredericton. TSX has given accolades to the SIF program calling it Canada’s leading university undergraduate financial services education program. In 2006, both the TSX Group and TD Bank offered multi-year financial gifts to support the work of the centre and the SIF.

Students in the SIF program manage real money. The current portfolio is at about $2 million, a considerable increase over the $1 million they began with roughly nine years ago.

The SIF program’s financial learning lab, the TSX Group boardroom, is set up to replicate a small investment firm. Sophisticated, leading-edge, industry-standard equipment, such as the Bloomberg professional dual monitor terminal, allow students access to current information to make informed investment decisions. Students work individually and in groups, learning group dynamics and collaborative team-building. Industry professionals also make guest appearances to the boardroom to enhance students’ learning experience by providing practical insight into relevant subjects and issues.

For the past several years, Glenn Cleland, founder of the centre and the SIF program has made the visit to Canada’s financial heartland a staple of the investment students’ learning experience. Over a three-day period the students put miles on their shoes as they trek around downtown Toronto with Prof. Cleland to meet with investment industry leaders from more than 20 firms.

This year’s tour included a visit to Barclays Global Investors Canada Limited. During this visit, the SIF class presented the firm’s president and CEO Rajiv Silgardo with the 2006 Canadian Money Manager of the Year Award. The recipient of this award is determined each year by an in depth analysis of Canadian money managers undertaken by the students.

With many more miles on the soles of their shoes and significantly greater insight into the investment industry, the students conclude their aggressive road trip on Jan. 12.

“If you can survive this pace for five days, you may have a chance at succeeding in many areas of the investment business,” said Prof. Cleland to his students. “If you can do it for seven days a week you may be able to keep up with the investment bankers.”

For more information, contact Susan Boyce at sboyce@unb.ca or 453-4895.

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Posted at 4:16 PM

A third-year business student at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton has received one of the region's top academic prizes. Gordon Margison (shown below) is the recipient of a Frank H. Sobey Business Excellence Award for 2006-07.

Valued at $10,000, the award honours outstanding academic achievement and community involvement. Mr. Margison, is the son of Douglas Margison and Jennifer Griffiths of Fredericton. He is a full-time student studying aviation and operations management. This unique three-year program integrates commercial flight training with essential business and management skills development.

Outside of university, Mr. Margison is a scout leader, volunteers with the ski patrol at Crabbe Mountain, and tutors fellow students in preparation for their pilot’s licensing exams.
"Gordon Margison is clearly an outstanding student," said Dan Coleman, dean of the faculty of business administration at UNBF. "We were very pleased to recommend him for the Sobey Award, pleased that he received it, and thankful to Sobeys for sponsoring this scholarship which recognizes excellence in business studies."

Mr. Margison feels honoured to even be considered for the award. "It was with great surprise and even greater pride that I received the Frank H. Sobey Award for Business Excellence and join a long list of admirable recipients,” said Mr. Margison.

Mr. Margison has his commercial pilot’s license. This award will allow him to continue his aviation career and obtain an instructor rating for his pilot’s license so that he can teach new students how to fly and share in one of his passions.

His future plans also include managing and flying with a corporate flight department or an international MedEvac operation, but for now he plans to continue working in the community and preparing for graduation in May.

The Frank H. Sobey Fund for Excellence in Business Studies was established in 1989 in memory of Frank H. Sobey, the late chairperson of Sobeys Inc. and Empire Co. Ltd. It supports as many as six awards each year. To be eligible, candidates must be residents of the Atlantic provinces, have completed one year of business studies, and be enrolled full-time in a faculty of business at a university in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.

The academic qualification for these awards is a minimum overall average of 85 per cent or 3.67 grade points with no individual mark below 80 per cent. The recipients are recommended by the deans of their respective faculties of business. Final selections are made by the board of the scholarship fund.

This is the 11th time that a student from the UNBF faculty of business administration has received the Frank H. Sobey Business Excellence Award.

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Posted at 9:06 AM