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Students Mason Birdsong and Tyson Jones celebrate the University’s first-place award for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s FIN4220 Student-Managed Fund at the prestigious Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education (GAME) Forum XIV in New York City last week. This is the fifth time since 2013 that ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s FIN4220 Student-Managed Fund has ranked among the national top three.

(Charleston, IL) – ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s FIN4220 Student-Managed Fund clinched first place in the Undergraduate Growth category at the prestigious Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education (GAME) Forum XIV in New York City last week.

“This achievement marks the fifth time since 2013 that ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's FIN4220 Student-Managed Fund has ranked among the national top three,” said Dean of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s Lumpkin College of Business and Technology Dr. Austin Cheney. “This monumental accomplishment underscores ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s commitment to excellence in finance education and speaks to the deep talent of our students and faculty members in the School of Business.”

ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ business students Mason Birdsong and Tyson Jones accepted the award on April 4 in New York City at the Quinnipiac GAME Forum, the largest student-run financial conference in the world. Forum attendees are offered unique and rare opportunities to discuss, debate, and learn from world-renowned industry leaders about financial best practices. The Global Portfolio Competition is based on risk-adjusted returns of real money portfolio performances in calendar year 2024. Students must actively invest in and manage the performance of the portfolio to enter the competition.

ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s FIN4220, Applied Securities Analysis is a senior-level course that operates an investment fund allowing the students to manage a real-money portfolio. Enrolled students research companies and—with faculty oversight—can make, hold, or sell recommendations just like their Wall Street peers. The portfolio is part of the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Foundation’s endowment and had a market value of $1.04 million as of March 2025.

“Our vision is to build the portfolio into one of the top Student-Managed Funds in the nation,” said Dr. Crystal Y. Lin, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Professor of Finance and Assistant Chair of Accounting and Law, Business Analytics and Business Systems (BAIS), and Finance at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. She also expressed gratitude for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s broad, ongoing support, which has enhanced the program’s success. “Support from the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Foundation, along with curriculum overhauls led by the College’s Dean Cheney and School of Business Chair Farhad Sadeh, has allowed us to further enrich the Finance major and emphasize experiential learning. The ultimate benefactor here is our students,” Lin added.

The fund’s past successes in national Student-Managed Fund portfolio competitions include:

• 2013: 3rd place in the Growth category at the R.I.S.E. competition
• 2016: 2nd place in the Growth category at the GAME Forum
• 2018: 2nd place in the Growth category at the GAME Forum
• 2021: 3rd place in the Core category at the GAME Forum
• 2025: 1st place in the Growth category at the GAME Forum

According to its website, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s School of Business provides a quality education with dedicated and accessible faculty who are deeply invested in their students’ success. Each program within the School maintains job placement rates above 90 percent and sees many of its new graduates securing starting annual salaries of more than $50,000. The School offers a range of undergraduate programs, including Accountancy, Business Analytics and Information Systems, Finance, Management, Marketing, and Hospitality and Tourism, as well as graduate programs like the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and MBA Online.

ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is a public comprehensive institution that offers superior, accessible undergraduate and graduate education. With a focus on student-centered learning and a commitment to excellence, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ prepares students to become responsible citizens and leaders in their personal and professional lives. For more information about ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, including its broad array of academic and career readiness programs, or any of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s other community-based services and opportunities, visit eiu.edu or call ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s public information office at (217) 581-7400. For more information about ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's School of Business and its programs, visit eiu.edu/business.