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Finance Lab

Click here for the current Finance Lab Schedule

The RIC Finance Lab, located in Alger 100 is the primary center for financial literacy and education for the College community. It was established in Fall 2011, in large part through a generous donation from RIC alumnus Ken Weakley, class of 89. This state of the art facility features 10 dual-monitor Bloomberg terminals providing access to Bloomberg Professional data and information services. (Two additional Bloomberg terminals are available in Whipple Hall and Horace-Mann Hall computer Labs.)

The Lab was established with the following broad objectives in mind:

  1. To integrate the use of the Lab and Bloomberg software into our finance courses to enhance student learning and professional development.
    • To achieve this goal, we redesigned our core finance course and made it a four credit class by including the Bloomberg certification as an added component of the course. All students in the SOM will now have the opportunity of getting their certifications for free, a credential that will give them a comparative advantage in any career in the financial services industry.
    • In addition, the Lab and Bloomberg platform have helped us integrate the CFA curriculum into our finance program, making our program one of the few programs in the State to be recognized by the CFA Institute.
    • Finally, the Lab has provided an ideal venue for an ongoing student managed investment fund worth $100,000. The hands-on-experience enables students to tell potential employers that they have been managing a large portfolio using Bloomberg as a primary financial research and trading tool.
  2. To create a collaborative environment for faculty and students to conduct research.
    • A few of our faculty and students in our upper level finance courses have actively been using the lab for their research.
    • The Economics and Finance Student Club members have used the Lab for club activities including the Stock Market Game challenge in the past two years for research and trading purpose.
    • The Lab has been used as a tool in our Personal Finance course; a class that is open to anyone in the College community to promote financial literacy and education. We plan to expand the role of the Lab in this area by offering more classes, workshops and student activities that enhance their learning and promote financial education.
  3. To extend our relationship with local high schools and the business community.
    • We have been promoting the facility to local high schools and the business community to generate awareness of our resources. We have had number of visits from local high school faculty and students as well as local colleges considering building a similar facility.

We believe that the Finance Lab can be dedicated to providing first class financial education through the integration of the Bloomberg Professional resources, and can serve as a vital component of growth in our finance program in the future. ​


Past Events

Bloomberg Discovery Day - Wednesday, February 22nd - Click here for event details.

12:30 -2 p.m. – Faculty Session – Alger 105
12:30-1:40 p.m.: Presentation
1:40-2 pm.: Q&A session
Lunch will be provided.

Bloomberg rep managing the education business in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be here to speak to the faculty members to showcase the value proposition of the Bloomberg terminals. He will share examples on how the Bloomberg terminal can be integrated in classroom teaching. 

2-6 p.m. – One-on-one/Group Sessions – Alger 202

Our Bloomberg rep will be available to discuss one-on-one potential opportunities for using Bloomberg in the classroom or in research. Given a set of topics covered in a course in Accounting, CIS, Economics, Finance, Health Administration, Management, or Marketing, he will be able to point out relevant data available in Bloomberg and even suggest project/assignment examples that can be used in class. You can sign up for a one-on-one session or come in together with your colleagues with similar interests.

6-7:30 p.m. – Student Session – Faculty Center Main Dining
6-7 p.m.: Presentation
7-7:30 p.m.: Q&A session
Pizza and drinks will be provided.

Have you walked by the Finance Lab (Alger 100) and wondered what it is used for?  Did you know RIC is one of the select group of schools that house 12 Bloomberg Terminals? Bloomberg Terminals are the industry standard used by finance professionals. Our Bloomberg Rep will demystify the terminals for you through an interactive session. Come learn how they can improve your learning experience at RIC. Click here for session details.

For more information e-mail Kemal Saatcioglu at ksaatcioglu@ric.edu. ​

Page last updated: January 22, 2018