ERIE, Pa. — Students in Penn State Behrend’s Black School of Business now have access to programs and curricula developed by the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association, the global leader in alternative investment education. Students also will be eligible to apply for scholarships to earn the CAIA Charter designation.
CAIA is a global network of 9,000 investment professionals. The organization, which formed in 2002, offers the only credential focused on the alternative investment space, which includes private equity, hedge funds, managed futures and real estate. To earn a CAIA Charter, candidates must complete two levels of qualifying exams and show relevant professional experience.
CAIA maintains more than 60 academic and associate partnerships. Participating schools include the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University, the LeBow School of Business at Drexel University and the Stern School of Business at New York University.
“Alternative investments are a growth sector in the investing world, and our students will have comprehensive training in those strategies,” said Greg Filbeck, director of the Black School of Business. “This formal partnership with CAIA enhances our existing curriculum and sharpens our focus on industry-tested best practices. Access to that training will better position our students for success in a broad range of investment products.”
Filbeck holds a CAIA Charter. He will lead seminar courses for Behrend students who plan to take the CAIA qualifying exams.
CAIA will annually provide up to eight scholarships to students in the Black School. That funding will cover the cost of registering for the CAIA Charter exams.
The organization also will provide one year of free access to the CISDM-Morningstar Hedge Fund Database, which tracks qualitative and quantitative information for more than 6,000 hedge funds and CTAs.
“Gaining access to the CISDM-Morningstar Hedge Fund Database allows our students and faculty members to engage in meaningful research in an area in which data is quite sparse,” Filbeck said. “The database complements the vast resources available to our students, including our Bloomberg terminal, which provides real-time, professional-grade investing support; and will help guide the investment strategy for our student-led Intrieri Family Student-Managed Fund.”
Robb Frederick
Assistant director, news and information, Penn State Behrend