Holt Turk, Guest Writer~
The Student Management Investment Fund (SMIF) will be giving selected students the opportunity to invest money, given to them by Lynchburg College, into various portfolios. The money for this fund is granted by LC’s endowment.
With approval from the Board of Trustees, this opportunity gives students hands-on control of the school’s endowment, which directly affects the faculty, staff and students. This will also significantly affect LC’s future.
Dr. Mike Schnur, professor of economics at LC, advises SMIF. He has championed this initiative for 15 years and is pleased to see it come to fruition. He stated, “This is a great program which provides real world experiences for students.
“I want this to turn into an LLC where alumni can invest their money instead of donating it. In return they would receive any profits gained and the school would take one percent and put that towards scholarship,” Schnur stated.
Dr. Schnur has high hopes that SMIF will continue to expand over the next five to 10 years.
SMIF is helping to give students professional experience within the world of economics and management.
Zachary Herendeen, a senior economics major and vice president of administration states, “Holding this position is going to help me improve my communication skills and become a better manager in the workforce.”
SMIF has had a big impact on Lynchburg CollegeC thus far, and it continues to grow and thrive each day. According to the News and Advance, “Four LC students are earning internship credit through the investment fund.”
Interested students should contact smif@lynchburg.edu. They will need to submit a resume and participate in an interview. Selected students will be trained on investment strategies.
Lynchburg CollegeC’s SMIF distinguished itself by being one of only three Virginia colleges to have a student managed investment organization.
