MEDIA RESOURCES

SMU Cox MBAs Place First at Texas Investment Portfolio Seminar
Award-winning student-managed fund consistently outperforms mutual fund market

Dallas (SMU) – The MBA Portfolio Practicum class at SMU Cox School of Business came in first place this weekend at the third annual Texas Investment Portfolio Symposium (TIPS), held on Saturday, March 25.  

TIPS is a forum for students and faculty at universities in Texas and surrounding states with investment management curriculum. This conference provides participants with a platform to interact with investment industry professionals and to advance their learning about industry trends, issues, and current hot topics.

Attending this year were SMU, Baylor, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Trinity, Rice, Oklahoma State, and Texas El Paso.  The winning SMU Cox team included students Chris Gaines (MBA ‘06), Harish Raman (MBA ’06), and Brandon Troegle (MBA '06), and was led by adjunct professor, Brian Bruce.  Bruce is Chief Investment Officer, Equity at PanAgora Asset Management, the quantitative division of Putnam Investments in Boston.
"We are delighted that our portfolio practicum has received this recognition,” said Bruce.  “SMU is the only program in the country where graduates already have experience presenting to consultants. This provided us with the edge necessary to win. It is a huge benefit to our students since over 80 percent of institutional business now comes from consultants and SMU students will have an advantage over graduates of other programs."
For nearly 30 years, Practicum in Portfolio Management has been offered at SMU Cox to give students real-world experience in money management. It is one of the oldest and largest student-managed portfolios in the United States with a 2005 year-end combined portfolio value of $6.7 million. The course was established to provide the benefit of hands-on investment experience for Cox students both in the classroom and in their careers. Initiated with an endowment, Practicum in Portfolio Management was first offered by SMU Cox at the undergraduate level.  The school began offering the course at the MBA level in 1994.
While 72.8 percent of equity mutual funds failed to beat their benchmark over the past five year, SMU Cox students managed to outperform their benchmark by 5.6 percent per year over the same time period. This performance placed the students ahead of some of the nation’s most recognizable mutual fund portfolios, including those offered by Dreyfus, Fidelity, Vanguard, and Wells Fargo.

"The Cox Portfolio Practicum provides incredible exposure to managing money," said Troegle.  "The success of the student fund can be attributed both to our proven investment methodology, as well as the diverse background of students participating in the Practicum, each of whom brings his or her best ideas while maintaining a strong sell discipline.  The fund has a long history of success with returns rivaling those of top money managers, and TIPS was an excellent opportunity to showcase it to industry professionals and other students throughout the region.  It is rewarding to have received this prestigious recognition."

About SMU Cox
SMU’s Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, including BBA, full-time MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), Master of Science in Management (MSM), and Executive Education. The school also offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, ranging from its Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, Maguire Energy Institute, and American Airlines Global Leadership Program (AAGLP) to its Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program and an international alumni network with chapters in more than 20 countries. SMU Cox is ranked among the top business schools nationally and internationally by major publications, including BusinessWeek, The Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report.

###