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Student Profile : The Graduate Programs in Finance is proud to showcase our students and their accomplishments. Read on to find out why we are so proud of Li Xu...more Graduate Programs in Finance Alumni Association : Contact our officers and find out about our events...more The Grapevine : Find out about the personal and professional accomplishments of your fellow students and alumni...more Reflections: Dr. Shahriar Khaksari is the founder of the Graduate Programs in Finance and has played an integral part in the program's growth and development over this past decade. He teaches several courses in the curriculum, and almost all graduates of the program have endured the rigor and reaped the rewards of his Financial Policy class-the program's capstone course. Dr. Khaksari agreed to be interviewed regarding his experience with the program...more |
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Celebrating A Decade of Excellence: A wonderful crowd of about 150 students, alumni and supporters of the Graduate Programs in Finance packed the Bay Tower on Friday, October 12. This record-setting crowd reveled in the energy of the evening and helped to make this ten-year anniversary celebration one not soon to be forgotten...more Fixed Income Residency Course at the Lighthouse Inn : During a sunny and warm week in June, Graduate Program in Finance students basked in the sun-only, that is, when they weren't basking in their new-found knowledge of fixed income securities...more The Making of a Career, by Jesus Lopez, MSF 01: “Dow Dives 508.32 Points In Panic on Wall Street” read the headlines that morning of October 1987. I was on my way to school, a small high school in downtown Mexico City. Ever since, I found myself intrigued on how this “moving number” could cause such a tremendous excitement among people. Soon, my search for answers would grow into an appeal for the finance profession, which, eventually, would lead me to choose finance as my major in college...more
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Li Xu, MSFSB '01 What makes Li Xu a star in the Master of Science in Finance program? The same drive and determination that made her a star throughout her academic career. Li graduate in the top 5% of her class from Wuhan University, a leading university in China with a highly competitive entrance exam. Her academic success was recognized regularly with awards such as the Freshman Scholarship of 1995 and the People's Scholarship, which she won for four consecutive years. The People's Scholarship award is particularly special, as it is given to only four students majoring in international finance each year. Li's success was not limited to the classroom, however, as she was also awarded several times for her outstanding leadership and organizational ability as the leader of the Student Union. Since joining the Master
of Science in Financial Services and Banking (MSFSB) program in the fall
of 1999, Li has continually proven that she has what it takes to succeed.
Despite the obstacles that a new culture and the difficulties of studying
in a foreign language presented, Li continued to shine, earning the MSFSB
Program's Quarterly Award for Excellence for earning a 3.8 GPA or higher
for consecutive quarters. Juggling her studies, her research
responsibilities as a graduate fellow, and a co-op experience, Li also
found time to work on a thesis during her final quarter in the program.
All of her hard work has paid off for her, as she was recently notified
that she was the only student to be accepted into the
doctoral program in business administration at Duke University-out of a
pool of 300 candidates! We are proud of Li's success and wish her well as
she continues her educational journey. From the Spring 2001 Newsletter Graduate Programs in Finance students and alumni continue to be movers and shakers, both professionally and personally, with many major life and career developments happening. Please keep us informed of what’s happening in your life and we’ll keep your friends and colleagues informed. Congratulations to the many new parents in our midst. Janine Bennett, MSF ‘01 is the proud mother of her third child, daughter Janaya, born on February 6 and weighing in at 6 lbs. 11 oz. John Leonetti, JD/MSF‘01 welcomed his second daughter, Elizabeth Mary, on December 18. Callum Henderson, MSF ‘99 and his wife Michelle welcomed their first child, daughter Allison, this past March. It seems to have been the year for girls, as Professor Lin Guo welcomed her first child, daughter Brigitte, in late December. We are proud to report on the many new positions and promotions secured by our students and alumni recently. Congratulations to Darspal Mann, MSF ‘01 who recently began working as a Hedge Fund Analyst at Kurland Capital LLC, a start-up hedge fund company. Kudos also to two new associates at Wellington Management, Vanessa Fader, MSF ‘99 who is working as a business analyst and Julie McDonald, who is working in client administration. We are happy to announce that Jesus Lopez, MSF ‘01 recently began an assignment at the Boston Stock Exchange, overseeing the Payment for Order Flow program. Congratulations to John Walker, who was recently promoted to Vice President of Global Services at Fleet. Congrats also to Steve Chittenden, MSF ‘95 who was just recruited to the position of Vice President of Operations at Loomis Sayles. Many kudos to Adam Russo, JD/MSF ’00, who successfully co-founded a new business venture, The Phia Group. Congratulations to Marty Hancock, MSF ‘99, who recently joined Fleet as a Sr. Performance Analyst. It’s been a great year for Susan Risso Piche, MSF ‘00, who was married this past October and recently began a position with Brown Brothers Harriman as a business analyst. On the academic front, GPIF students continue to thrive. The program was proud to present three well-deserved awards at our spring reception: Christopher Cohen and Jaehyun Park received the Quarterly Award for Excellence in recognition for their achievement of a 3.8 or higher GPA for the past two quarters. Jesus Lopez was the recipient for the Outstanding Student of the Year award in recognition of his earning the highest GPA of his graduating class. Congratulations to Li Xu, who was recently accepted to the Ph.D. program in business administration at Duke University. Many congratulations to the Program’s indispensable Kim Leonard, who is graduating cum laude from Suffolk’s BSBA program this spring, and then jaunting off to the Cape Verde Islands for a month-long celebration!
From the Fall 2000 Newsletter GPIF students and alumni have been busy with many, many accomplishments, both personal and professional, that we think you’ll want to know about. Please give us a call or e-mail if you have any tidbits you’d like to share about your accomplishments, or any of those of your GPIF friends who may be a bit media-shy…. Congratulations to the many GPIF students and alumni who successfully sat for various levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam this past June: Ken Snell, Bob Connors, Li Xu and John Bearce passed Level I of the three-level exam; Sajid Riaz, Ben Li and Martin Hancock were successful with the Level II exam, and John Brosnahan, MSF 97 passed Level III and has been awarded the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst. Kudos to all! John Brosnahan has another distinction to add to his resume-that of winner of the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award, which was awarded last spring by the Suffolk University General Alumni Association. John was recognized for his success at the BOSE Corporation, where he is a senior financial analyst. Three GPIF students were recognized for their academic success at the Fall 2000 Reception; Tyrus Cobb, a September 2000 graduate, earned a perfect 4.0 GPA to earn him the Outstanding Student of the Year Award, given to the student who has earned the highest GPA in a graduating class. Marek Herchel was the Outstanding Student of the Year for the May 2000 graduating class. Jesus Lopez was the recipient of the Quarterly Award for Excellence, having earned a GPA of 3.8 or higher for the past two quarters. The MSF degree helped many students find their way to new jobs recently. Congratulations to Vanessa Fader on her promotion to Assistant Treasurer at Chase Global Funds; Nick Marrangoni to Director of Regulatory Affairs at Liberty Mutual; Ken Snell to Portfolio Manager assistant at State Street Global Advisors and David Smith to Portfolio Manager of the Special Equity Fund and Small Cap Growth Opportunity Fund at SSGA. Adam Russo, JD/MSF ’00 and Chaz Fisher, JD/MSF ’00 passed a major milestone recently, passing the Massachusetts Bar Exam! Chaz also secured a job as a tax analyst with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Diane Carney welcomed son Michael John on October 25, weighing in at 8lb. 9 oz. Mary Jane Walker and husband John welcomed Maxwell James on July 1. And Rob Chatfield and wife Jen are the proud parents of Nathaniel. The Chatfields recently moved to Portland, Maine and are enjoying their new country living. Best wishes to our newlyweds, Deb Moninger McLean and husband Jeff, Joe Rooney and wife Stephanie, and Mark Brown and wife Katheryn. These milestones were brought to you courtesy of the GPIF grapevine. Hope we didn’t miss anyone and-keep’em coming!! Graduate Programs in Finance Alumni AssociationStay tuned for information on our upcoming events!!
President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Dr. Shahriar Khaksari is the founder of the Graduate Programs in Finance and has played an integral part in the program's growth and development over this past decade. He teaches several courses in the curriculum, and almost all graduates of the program have endured the rigor and reaped the rewards of his Financial Policy class-the program's capstone course. Dr. Khaksari agreed to be interviewed regarding his experience with the program. His thoughts are below: Q: When you began developing the program, what was your inspiration and vision for the program? My vision was one of excellence. I recognized that there was a void and a growing opportunity for a program like this. There were many MBAs working in the financial services industry-and they were working right down the street from us-who were focused on a career in finance, but the didn’t necessarily have the in-depth financial knowledge that they really needed to succeed. Finance is such a dynamic and complex field that it requires more than just a few classes to really grasp the issues. I also wanted this program to be unique in every sense and to respond to the needs of the student and of the market. I assembled academics and leading practitioners and started an intensive process of building the structure and the curriculum. The idea behind the quarter system was to meet the needs of the students-because duration of the program is so important-and to ensure that there is synergy between classes, something that you don't necessarily get through an MBA program that is so much less structured. The building blocks allow faculty to use the prior course as a starting point, while the cohort structure allowed for great networking opportunities for the students. Q: How has the program reached these goals? Oh I think the program really has met so many of the goals I wanted to see it reach. In some areas such as facilities and the fact that we have not yet been able to create the image that we deserve, we still have some work to do. But, I really do believe that we have one of the best graduate finance programs in the country. We have tremendous faculty, administration and curriculum that make this such a great program. I was always confident that the program would succeed, but it really was on a shoestring in the initial stages. When I first received approval from the school to launch the program, there was no administrative office in place-just me. I would develop marketing, ads, register students myself-ordered pizza for dinner-whatever it took. It was truly like my own child-I was responsible for taking care of every need. As the program grew and prospered we received much support from the University and now have this wonderful system set up. Q: What are some of the changes that you've noted in our students over the years? At the beginning, all of the students were part-time students from the downtown area. But now, we have students from all over the world who come here for this program. It is a much more diverse group, with much more diversity in terms of culture and gender. There is a great diversity in experience also, with students from all aspects of business- law, international-it really enriches the classroom. I also see a change in the individual students as they progress through the program. Students work very hard and by the end of the program, I can see their new sense of confidence that is so important to their success. They feel good about their hard work and success-and they should-and this confidence will serve them well as they move forward in their careers. Q: What are some of the things other than finance that you want to see students take from this program? I would like students to feel proud and confident about themselves and their education. I don't want students to feel that they are second to any other schools-they can compete with graduates of any other school. Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of working with graduate students? I particularly enjoy working with students in the finance program. There students are so focused and really embrace the challenges that we provide them. The smaller class sizes also allow for more one on one interaction and really let me get to know the students on a much deeper level that ordinarily happens. Of all of the teaching that I do-executive learning and CFA courses-working with the finance students is the most enjoyable. Q: What are some of your more memorable moments with the program or the University? It's tough to nail down particular moments, but some of my best memories are of the first graduating class and the pride I felt in them. I've enjoyed seeing the program grow and really enjoy seeing the end result when I meet with alumni who are successful because of this program. I went to Madrid one time and met with alumni who have done very well-that type of memory is special. We've also had a few marriages made through this program-so you never know where a degree may lead you! Q: You've always been involved in business-what are you doing now in addition to teaching? I'm busy with different consulting jobs and doing executive training programs. I recently set-up an on-line CFA program with Kaplan and I continue to teach with the CFA program. I'm an entrepreneur so am always looking for new ventures. Academically I continue to work on various research projects. Q: Do you have any advise for our students and graduates during these uncertain economic times? Just keep improving your marketability. Be continuously working on enhancing your skills and making yourself more indispensable than others. Q: Any final thoughts to share? I am very proud of this program, of the accomplishments for our alumni. For me, it's been a privilege to be in a position to feel that I can share in their success. Celebrating A Decade of Excellence A wonderful crowd of about 150 students, alumni and supporters of the Graduate Programs in Finance packed the Bay Tower on Friday, October 12. This record-setting crowd reveled in the energy of the evening and helped to make this ten-year anniversary celebration one not soon to be forgotten. In a true celebration of the program's success, we reached out to our alumni for our featured speaker for the evening, with alumnus David B. Smith, MSF '97, agreeing to join us. David had the crowd's ear during his speech, but not before we heard from some other speakers who inspired us with their words. Dean Bill O'Neill, the new dean of the Sawyer School of Management, took to the podium to introduce himself to the crowd, giving a lively personal history of his experience as CFO at Polaroid and his tenure at Suffolk University. Dean O'Neill first came to Suffolk as a law student and was later invited to join the Board of Directors, an experience that culminated in his appointment as chairman of the board. His intimate knowledge of Suffolk University and his tremendous business experience give him unique skills with which to lead the Sawyer School of Management to the challenges that lay ahead. Following Dean O'Neill, Professor Ki Han, director of the Graduate Programs in Finance, took to the podium with a surprise presentation to the founder of the Graduate Programs in Finance and a mentor to many of GPIF students and alumni, Professor Shahriar Khaksari. Professor Khaksari's remembrances about the program's earliest days, to his comments regarding its current success, were greeted enthusiastically by the crowd. His introduction of David Smith was particularly special, as he and David have retained a close friendship since David's days as a student. The crowd listened attentively as David then took to the podium to relay the experiences that led to his current success. David worked his way up the ladder at State Street Global Advisors, all the while juggling the MSF program and the CFA program, not to mention his growing family responsibilities. His commitment to his success in all of these areas paid off, however, as he quickly found himself with growing responsibilities at work. Before leaving SsGA just this past September, he was a principal of SsGA and portfolio manager for SsGA's fundamental small and mid-cap strategies. His success at State Street made it possible for his latest venture, partnering up with Mellon to form a new institutional investment arm. The events of September 11 and the troubling economic times have made this a particularly sensitive time to launch such a venture, but David has, in the words of one of our esteemed alumnus, "managed to roll in mud and come out smelling like a rose every time," so he is sure to meet this challenge as well. David went on the speak of the important and unique roll that GPIF alumni can play in marketing the program and increasing its value in the business community, calling upon all alumni to participate in a campaign to increase the program's visibility. He cited several examples of how easily this goal could be reached, from active participation in program and alumni events, to supporting graduates of the program by hiring graduates and looking out for opportunities to promote GPIF alumni. He also spoke about the networking opportunities that the program receptions provide and pointed out how easily these opportunities could be maximized with the simple act of reaching out and meeting people beyond the cohort of students that each student went through the program with. He suggested some unique ways of making this happen, something that the program office will play with as we plan our next reception. We at the program office wholeheartedly support this call to action and will work with David and other alumni to make this a campaign reality. Topping off the evening was our bi-annual award ceremony honoring some of the outstanding academic achievements of our students. The faculty and program staff were proud to honor Sajid Riaz, May '01, and Bob Skinner, September '01, as the recipients of the Outstanding Student Award, given to the student with the highest GPA in his graduating class. Sajid and Bob are familiar with the award podium, as each has earned Quarterly Awards for Excellence as they worked through the program. This year's recipients of the Quarterly Award for Excellence for earning a GPA of 3.8 for consecutive quarters, all the while carrying a full-time class load, represent both the newcomers and the "old-timers" of the program. Che Hsien Chang started the program just this past spring and earned the award at the first possible occasion, giving a glimpse of his future success. John Walker, on the other hand, is enrolled in his final quarter in the program and is completing the program with a bang, as well as a sense of pride (and relief!). Congratulations to all and many thanks to those who joined us at this special event. Fixed Income Residency Course at the Lighthouse Inn During
a sunny and warm week in June, Graduate Program in Finance students basked in
the sun-only, that is, when they weren't basking in their new-found
knowledge of fixed income securities.
In
what is planned to be an annual event,
Professor Shahriar Khaksari led a one week, intensive course on Fixed
Income Securities at the Lighthouse Inn in West Dennis, MA.
The Inn's relaxed atmosphere and stunning location provided a beautiful
background and the perfect environment for this intensive course.
Eleven
students took advantage of the opportunity to leave their day-to-day
responsibilities behind and concentrate their energy on their learning.
The class ran from 9-5 each day and was broken into lecture, case
analysis and presentation and guest lectures.
Students were lucky to hear directly from professionals in the field of
fixed income, including:
Stephen Burke,
Principal at State Street Global Advisors who recently served as the Head of
the Fundamental Active Bond Group;
Barbara McKenna, Director at Standish, Ayer & Wood who is
responsible for managing the short-term fixed income group and short-term
duration and strategy group;
Ben Li, MSF '99, Vice
President, Standish, Ayer & Wood, who is responsible for quantitative
research and duration controls for the fixed income group; Robert O'Neil, MSF '98, Credit Analyst at Liberty Mutual who has
worked as a fixed income credit analyst for the past four years; and Paul
McCormack, Managing Director,
who is responsible for Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities at
Fleet. The
intimate feel of the class allowed students to interact freely with the guests
and provided a great opportunity for networking and for further discussion on
the opportunities in the fixed income field.
The
week was not all work however, as the Lighthouse Inn provided a wonderful and
festive Cape Cod Lobsterbake during the week and offered many amenities that
allowed students to let their hair down a bit, including a heated pool and
miles of beach to explore.
Some students made time for golfing, while others used their free time
for fishing, or just relaxing beachside.
Former Dean Jack Brennan
hosted the group for a cocktail reception at his summer home in W. Dennis,
providing a great opportunity to get to know him on a more personal level.
All
in all, the week was a great success, leaving students not only with new
knowledge, but a new sense of camaraderie with their fellow students that is
sure to last.
The program has already reserved space at the Lighthouse Inn for next
year, so book your calendars for June
10-14, 2002 and watch for information.
(l-r)
Shahriar Khansari, (Back row)
Mary Jane Walker, Rob Borges, Tom Lescoe, Bob Skinner, Dan Hollenbeck,
Robert O'Neil (front row) Nidal El Assi, Chris Cohen, Julie MacDonald, Nadine
Armstrong, Hiro Kuwayama, John Walker, The Making of a Career, by Jesus Lopez, MSF 01 “Dow Dives 508.32 Points In Panic on Wall Street” read the headlines that morning of October 1987. I was on my way to school, a small high school in downtown Mexico City. Ever since, I found myself intrigued on how this “moving number” could cause such a tremendous excitement among people. Soon, my search for answers would grow into an appeal for the finance profession, which, eventually, would lead me to choose finance as my major in college. Looking for further specialization, I decided to go for Graduate school. I researched several programs in many different schools and countries. One of the options was a program at a university in Boston, MA that seemed to be what I had been looking for. Unlike most of the programs I found (most were MBA’s in Finance), this program was totally focused on finance, with many different areas for concentration. Suffolk University would become one of the most challenging as well as rewarding experiences in my life. Throughout the program, not only I had the opportunity to learn from and network with top professionals and faculty, but also to make good friends and enjoy great evenings in all those social events that characterize the Graduate Programs in Finance. On graduation day, I knew one of my top two challenges had been successfully completed, but I still had to face the second one: to find a job in a market where the words “lay offs” and “likely recession” sounded continuously in the media. If, on top of this, you have to add the word “sponsorship” in every job interview, the horizon seems to be even more difficult. After a few weeks, I realize my search wasn’t yielding many interviews and, the few I was called for, didn’t have subsequent follow-ups. It seemed to me companies were reluctant to go through the extra hassle (that an international student represented) in this particular time. I knew that if I wanted to be considered, I would have to change my strategy. What I focused on was temporary assignments. I thought that if I entered into a company, I could work hard to get some attention and, perhaps, some consideration for a permanent position. After a couple of months, my assignment at the Boston Stock Exchange seemed to be no different than the previous one. Human Resources had just told me they don’t sponsor. However, I noticed some factors that were particularly interesting to me. First, there were new projects across the company that represented a change in procedures. And second, people already had a considerable workload. The SEC had mandated that all market centers had to post execution quality statistics online, a rule generally known as Rule 5. Given the volume of new information that had to be processed, new databases were created. In addition, the development of ways to correctly measure the industry and help identify opportunities was critical. This gave me the opportunity to start helping several different areas with the creation and implementation of such new measures. My objective always was to make life easier for them. I tried to contribute with ideas that would facilitate the work of not only those in my area but in other areas as well. This helped generate the type of attention I wanted. Certainly, all the tools I learned from the program played a key role (and that’s when you appreciate all the long readings or the extensive practical cases). After a couple more months (and my repeated willingness to take care of the immigration process if necessary) the Financial Systems Analyst position was created, and I was finally able to close a deal in mutually beneficial terms. This is certainly not the fastest way to find a job in the current market. However, for an international student, this could be an alternative option to overcome the Human Resources filter and show what you can really offer to a company.
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