From left, students David DiFazio, Ronan Murphy, Annie Li, and Sergej Stojanovic.
Scholarships Incentivize Student-Fund Managers
The Intrieri Family Student-Managed Fund at Penn State Behrend began in 2012 with a $100,000 gift from alumnus Vincent J. Intrieri ‘84, and his wife, Joanne. Ten years later, with more than $1 million in holdings, the fund began paying out a different kind of dividend: scholarships for the students who manage it. Since then, thirty student analysts have received scholarships totaling $55,500.
The 2024 scholarship recipients include, above from left, David DeFazio, vice president of marketing and social media; Ronan Murphy, vice president of economic/market analysis; Annie Li, vice president of financial reporting; and Sergej Stojanovic, president and chief investment officer.
Perhaps most importantly, the Intrieri Fund provides students with an invaluable learning experience by introducing them to the concepts of portfolio management and security analysis in a real-world environment with real money at stake.
Reducing Expenses for Business Students
Professional certifications and designations are an often-overlooked expense for business majors. Students can spend hundreds of dollars, or more, on exam fees and preparation materials as they pursue certifications and designations that are important in their chosen fields.
Students in the Black School of Business can get help with these out-of-pocket expenses by applying for up to $1,000 in reimbursement for study guides, training materials, and exam fees.
In the 2023-24 academic year, thirty students received funding.
“The expenses must be for items outside of classroom work, and our students initially pay for them out of pocket and apply to be reimbursed,” said Dr. Ozgun Demirag, director of the Black School of Business. “The average amount we award annually is about $15,000.”
With school funding, students have been able to complete certifications such as Certified Financial Planner, Certified Public Accountant, and Project Management Professional at little to no cost, something any business major can recognize as a smart financial move.
Finance Students Benefit from Affiliation Program
The Black School of Business is the only business school in northwestern Pennsylvania to have a University Affiliation Program with the CFA Institute, which offers one of the most respected credentials in finance. The program also offers scholarship opportunities to students in Behrend’s finance programs.
In the 2023-24 academic year, eleven students were awarded scholarships: Yonari Asgedom, Anuj Lakra, Conrad Lloyd, Tristan Leopold, Richard Liddick, Jarah Macfarlane, Lukas Metcalfe, Matthew Muldowney, Priyanka Ozornea, Xander Robertshaw, and Jonathan Rom.
The UAP scholarships reduce the cost of the CFA Level I exam by approximately $1,000. The scholarships also reduce the cost of study materials, saving students an additional $700.
Students Take Part in Financial Planning Competition
Finance students Hayden Adams, left, and Zane Lewis.
In the spring of 2024, Finance students Hayden Adams and Zane Lewis competed in a financial planning competition sponsored by the CFA Society Pittsburgh, CFA Society Philadelphia, and the FPA of Pittsburgh.
There were more than 250 submissions from eleven universities. Adams was a top-10 finisher.
Student Trips Expand Horizons, Present Opportunities
Forty students from the Black School of Business traveled to Chicago in March for the annual spring business trip, a professional-development opportunity that is guided by multiple faculty members.
The students visited the Cboe Options Exchange, the Chicago Bulls business office, the Chicago Fed’s Money Museum, and Initiative, a marketing firm that works with Amazon, Nike, and T-Mobile.
The group also had a networking dinner with Behrend alumni who live in the Chicago area.
Black School students also traveled to conferences in California, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Research Work on Display
Student Sophia DiPlacido and Dr. Joongseo Kim, associate professor of management in the Black School of Business
Sophia DiPlacido, a senior with dual majors in Marketing and Psychology, attended the 2024 Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) annual conference in Chicago, where she presented her academic research project, “Right Now, Wrong Then: How Moral Flexibility Shapes Unethical Behavior via Bottom-Line Mentality.”
Her research, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Joongseo Kim, associate professor of management, was supported by the Black School of Business Innovation Through Collaboration program and Behrend’s undergraduate student research grant. DiPlacido also received a 2024 summer fellowship research grant and Behrend’s John and Jane Herbert Undergraduate Research Award, which recognized the high quality of her undergraduate research.