Applied Finance Center to host speaker series event on Friday, Sept. 20

Ohio University’s Applied Finance Center will host its first speaker series event of the semester on Friday, Sept. 20.

All OHIO students are invited to hear from finance professionals coming from a diverse range of backgrounds. The event will begin at 9:40 a.m. in the Walter Hall Rotunda and include three different panel discussions.  Panel sessions will be held at 9:40, 10:45, and 11:50.  Students can register for the Sept. 20 speaker series event here.

In addition to the Finance Panel Speaker Summit, the Applied Finance Center also supports and promotes the Women in Finance Summit during the spring semester. Both annual events bring speakers to OHIO to speak about their broad experiences in the finance industry and offer networking opportunities to students. Students from all majors are invited to attend the speaker series events and learn from finance leadership.

Each month during the academic year, the center conducts in-person or hybrid meetings with Ohio University alumni and friends who work within the financial industry. The speakers represent a diverse collection of finance careers and share their experiences, advice and finance strategy with OHIO students.

The Applied Finance Center

Formally approved by the Ohio University Board of Trustees earlier this year, the center's mission is to prepare students for professional careers with experiential learning, access to valuable resources, and applied experiences outside the classroom.

The Applied Finance Center offers trainings and skills improvement workshops throughout the year for all Ohio University students. The workshops and special events are designed to enable students to better utilize resources to explore real-world financial data on companies and financial assets, such as stocks and bonds.

The training programs focus on utilizing industry-standard technology. This includes the basics of using a Bloomberg terminal, FactSet, advanced training on Excel, and a multitude of other technologies. Additional workshop topics include resume building, best practices on LinkedIn, interview preparation, and financial literacy.

In addition, the Applied Finance Center coordinates trips for OHIO students to visit company offices and take part in networking opportunities with industry professionals. Past trips have included events in New York, Chicago, Charlotte and Columbus, and the center plans to expand location offerings in the future.

The Applied Finance Center also assists student finance groups such as the Financial Management Association and the Association of Women in Finance with mentoring programs and other support.

Furthermore, the faculty and staff in the Applied Finance Center provide resources and services to promote certifications that are important, and at times necessary, for financial professionals to obtain. 

For more information on the Applied Finance Center or on the speaker series events, please contact Director Luke McElfresh at mcelfrel@ohio.edu.