A newly created University of Oregon Investment Group (UOIG) Alumni and Friends Fund is off to a fast start thanks to several donors, including assistant professor of finance Steve McKeon "00, Rayne Gaisford "04, Jim Patricelli "90, Lisa Thomas "00, Adam Barycza "00, Ian Haas "00, and James Bruce "01, JD '06.
Howard Svigals "75 matched the gifts received, resulting in the fund rocketing beyond its first $100,000 goal.
Formed in the late 1990s as a Lundquist College of Business student club, UOIG provides undergraduates and MBAs with confidence and experience in portfolio management and fundamental investment analysis. Members manage roughly $1 million in real, live money across three differently structured portfolios.
The UOIG Alumni and Friends Fund adds a new portfolio to the mix that will focus on small cap stocks. Annual distributions from the fund will support UOIG's alumni outreach and other group operations.
For Svigals, he has no doubt that the fund will be successful, noting that past results speak for themselves.
“The process used by UOIG students is very disciplined and produces strong results as demonstrated by the historical portfolio returns," he said.
But the on-the-ground experience and connections made by students represent the true investment.
“As a proud supporter of UOIG for more than a dozen years, I value the real-world practical knowledge they experience investing in the markets," Svigals said. “I am pleased to frequently hear from the students that UOIG is one of the best experiences of their college education."
Indeed, alumni frequently cite UOIG as a top interest of potential employers.
“UOIG provided me with a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience while I was still an undergraduate," said Bruce "01, JD '06. “This gave me a huge edge when considering possible employment options after school was completed."
McKeon, a member of the first UOIG cohort, described his time with the group as transformative.
“I know many other alums feel the same way," he said. “After fifteen years, we wanted to start a tradition of giving back and supporting the next generation of UOIG students. The UOIG Alumni and Friends Fund will provide resources to help the group strengthen the connection with alumni and fund additional experiential opportunities for students. We hope all UOIG alumni consider investing in this fund."
The new alumni fund was announced on May 15 at UOIG's Annual Meeting, which, following the model of a shareholders meeting, brought the club's alumni and supporters to campus for a report on portfolio performance.
This year for the first time, a large contingent of parents of graduating seniors sat in on the meeting as well. Attendees also got a peek at the investment group in action, with a portion of the meeting devoted to a stock valuation and buy pitch followed by questions from the audience about the analysis.