A ribbon-cutting was held Thursday at the University of Illinois Springfield College of Business and Management to celebrate the opening of a new trading lab. The facility features a dozen Bloomberg Terminals.
“You can get a lot of information by watching CNBC or through different sites , but this has so much more,” said Dean Somnath Bhattacharya.
For example, it shows in-depth data, charts, statistics and current news reports. Users can see details including supply chain, customers and global markets. The technology will be available for use during and outside of class.
The lab will also support the university’s Student Managed Investment Fund, which manages more than $50,000, by strengthening students’ ability to analyze markets, evaluate securities and make informed investment decisions.
Bhattacharya said this type of experiential learning is critically important.
“We can create an environment where they obtain that knowledge and then immediately are able to implement what they learned.”
The lab is made possible through a $150,000 gift from Sean and Taryn Grant. Sean Grant is CEO and owner of Landmark Automotive Group, and Taryn Grant is executive director of the Grant Conservatory, both in Springfield. The lab is named in their honor. .
“We always donate to the community as much as we can,” Sean Grant said. “This is a big donation for us and for them. The benefits outweigh how much it costs because this is going to go on for years.”
“This lab is about investing in students and their futures,” Taryn Grant said. “When students see that the community supports their education, it builds confidence and pride in the school. Being part of that growth is exciting, and we see this as just the beginning.”
Bhattacharya said the addition of the lab will give graduates a leg up. Students may also earn Bloomberg certifications, which signal job readiness to employers.
“They can go to a brokerage firm. They can go to a finance firm or a bank and say I know how to use a Bloomberg Terminal. It’s the same equipment Wall Street is using.”
He said it can also encourage enrollment at UIS.
“We have a lot of students who leave Springfield for college and never come back,” said Bhattacharya. “Our argument now is you can get the same experience, the same infrastructure, the same knowledge base without leaving your town. In that sense, we are trying to stem the brain drain locally.”
