The Marilyn C. and Gerry B. Cameron Center for Finance and Securities Analysis came from realization that the best way to prepare our students for success and to meet the needs of the finance community (in the Northwest and beyond) was to create a highly-focused program devoted to preparing graduates who could make an impact immediately.
In other words, our graduates would not require the three-to-four years of on-job-experience typically needed before assuming leadership roles. Instead, Cameron Center students would be prepared to lead upon graduating.
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To discover what was missing from financial education in traditional MBA programs, the Lundquist College of Business and the founders of the Cameron Center talked closely with industry, recruiters, and students. Ideas were evaluated, and the concept was enthusiastically received and resources gathered.
From Wall Street firms to corporate treasuries and the investment banking and nonprofit sectors, several themes emerged to shape the Cameron Center:
- A graduate professional degree in finance must be global in scope to reflect today's global economy and financial markets
- A curriculum with strong emphasis on accounting is a true advantage in interpreting and adding value to financial information because the raw data are now ubiquitous
- Integrating an experiential hands-on component provides for a superior education through maximum exposure to best practices and live-fire situations, adding a crucial dimension for career preparation
- The program should be led by a practitioner in order to complement the existing strengths of faculty and to provide the natural bridge to industry.
In 2008, the Cameron Center officially launched following these guiding principles. Today, the center continues to build on its industry-vetted scope, reputation, and connections to create a one of the top finance and securities analysis education programs in the country, with graduates going on to excel in careers in corporate finance, entrepreneurship, treasury, sustainable enterprise, asset management, accounting, investment banking, risk management, and alternative investing.
