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October 2022

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Department of Finance newsletter! It is our intention to distribute the newsletter bimonthly to help keep you informed of the goings-on in and around the Department of Finance. All feedback and suggestions are welcome.

News and Announcements from the Department of Finance

  • The number of students in Finance continues to grow – with 1,156 students this semester.
  • 163 students joined as freshmen, up a whopping 47% compared to 111 in Fall 2021.  
  • The department has 3 new specialized majors: Financial Planning and Wealth Management, FinTech and Big Data Analytics, and Finance and Real Estate.
  • In addition, the Finance major has 4 options: Investment Management and CFA, Corporate Financial Management, Financial Risk Management, and Financial Accounting.  Thus, students have 7 different defined career paths. 
  • The Finance Advisory Board meeting was held October 14, 2022 and had the highest-ever number of board members in attendance at 24 (see photo above). The following day, the department hosted a tailgate prior to the Miami game (see photo below).
  • The Board has 40 members and is looking to add more; nominations of engaged alumni are welcome – please write to Dr. Vijay Singal, Department Head of Finance, at vs@vt.edu.
  • We are hiring full-time and part-time faculty to teach many Finance courses. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Vijay Singal at vs@vt.edu with a resume or CV. For more details, go here and search for Finance: jobs.vt.edu.   
  • Jason Malone received the 2022 Teaching Scholar Award for Teaching Large Classes.
  • Yessenia Tellez was highlighted on the Pamplin College of Business LinkedIn page for National Hispanic Heritage Month.
  • Deb Golden (’94) and Chris Hennesey (’99) were recently featured in the Industry Leader Spotlight.

News from the Virginia Tech Financial Planning Program

  • Jesse Lineberry serves as the CFP® program director and Financial Planning Association faculty advisor, and the ongoing successful transition from the "CFP® Option" to the Financial Planning and Wealth Management major should lead to greater interest in the program.
  • Students in the CFP® option saw 100% job placement in the 2021-22 academic year, and Charles Schwab (4) and Commonwealth Advisors (2) provided full scholarships for students to attend their respective conferences this fall.

News from FinTech and Big Data Analytics

  • The FinTech option became its own major (FBTA) for the 2022-23 academic year, and there are currently approximately 45 students enrolled in either the major or the option.
  • Cara Spicer, an award-winning teacher, is the faculty lead for the new major.
  • Job placement for the 2021-22 academic year was 100% with a mean salary of $85,000, and more than 50% of students received signing bonuses of $3,000-$15,000 and/or equity in the company. Two students were placed at investment hedge funds, which is extremely rare for undergraduates.
  • Citi, Bank of America, Deloitte, Capital One, and other companies are actively reaching out to recruit more full-time placements and interns, and Cara Spicer works with companies to network and place students for both internships and full-time positions.
  • Established in fall 2021, the FinTech Club currently has 20-30 active members and hosted a hackathon and an investment simulation competition in the spring.

News from CREDIT (formerly Credit Corps)

  • CREDIT (Credit Education Investment Team) is a student-run group that manages a $2 million portfolio of commercial bank loan participations. Deal Teams consider loan participation and analyze different loan types, including lines of credit and term loans. Comprised of juniors and seniors, the group was founded in 2019 and has grown from 4 to 13 students in under 3 years. Fred Hood is the faculty advisor for the group. 
  • CREDIT placement has been 100% in full-time positions, internships, and graduate school with placements in companies including: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Regions Bank, First Bank and Trust, Burke and Herbert Bank, C&F Bank, Guy Carpenter, GCM Grosvenor, BlackRock, Atlantic Union Bank, Fifth Third Bank, One Medical, Washington Capital Partners, Mariner Finance, Stihl, Kings Dominion, Baker Tilly, and Deloitte.
  • In addition to CREDIT, the Finance department manages SEED for stock investments, and BASIS for fixed income investments. SEED and BASIS manage $5 million each and CREDIT manages up to $2 million on behalf of the Virginia Tech Foundation.

Pamplin events, alumni speakers, and corporate presentations

The department hosts numerous events and presentations every semester. A list of recent alumni speakers and corporate presentations is given below. 

  • Wells Fargo
  • Richmond Federal Reserve
  • Deloitte
  • Accenture
  • RSM
  • Freddie Mac
  • Capital Automotive Real Estate Services
  • PennyMac
  • Citigroup
  • Hilton
  • Homrich Berg
  • Vanguard
  • Millennium Advisory Services
  • Wiss Private Client Advisors
  • WealthStream
  • RVA Wealth Management
  • Marotta Wealth Management
  • Wealthspire
  • Graves Light Lenhart
  • Cary Street Partners
  • Clarendon Wealth Management
  • Mason & Associates
  • PWC
  • Numerous career/networking fairs, webinars, and information sessions

Speakers/corporations in the upcoming weeks: 

  • Rockwood Wealth Management
  • Wealthspire
  • Carroll Financial
  • Blue Heron
  • Homrich Berg
  • Carradice Wealth Advisors
  • Capital Asset Management Group

Upcoming Pamplin organized events:

  • Nov. 5: Pamplin Tailgate. Join Pamplin alumni and friends for a pre-game tailgate at Hahn Garden.
  • Through Nov. 27: Hokie Hike. Hike anywhere between Oct. 15 and Nov. 27 and share your journey using #HokieHike. Registration details.

Feedback and news stories

Please provide your feedback on the newsletter to vs@vt.edu. We would like to include items of interest to you, as well as recognitions and achievements of Finance Hokies in future newsletters.