2019 - 2021 FMA Magazine

Letter from ASIF
2019-2020 CIO,
JENNY
HERRELL
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUND’S
FUTURE AND BACK AT OUR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
It has been one of my greatest honors at Auburn
to watch the Fund’s evolution over the last three
years. I joined its ranks during my first year at
Auburn as a junior analyst and have truly come to
appreciate the hard work and diligence that our
members dedicate to the Fund’s investments and
success. ASIF provides students an opportunity
to leave a legacy through the decisions they make
and infrastructure they create – building models
and formulating pitches that students will look
at for years to come. More importantly, the Fund
provides students with real world experience,
pertinent industry skills, and knowledge of the
cruciality of investing, aiding them far beyond
their time at Auburn and into their adult lives.
As a result, in the fall of 2020, ASIF combined
with the Financial Management Association
to form the Integrated Financial Leadership
Program. Our Fund’s members are now sourced
from FMA, coming prepared with the rigorous
training that this organization provides.
Additionally, this fall, our program will achieve
course integration, where students will receive
six credit hours through a year-long sequence of
classes on security and portfolio analysis – taught
by elite faculty and industry experts. This makes
us the first student managed investment fund in
the state of Alabama to reach course integration.
Finally, we continue to push for increased funding
to place our Fund at par with comparable elite
programs, targeting AUM of $500,000. I believe
this goal will come to fruition as our students
continue to showcase the diligence with which we
make investments and the impact our Fund has
on their success.
Ultimately, we aim to be one of the nation’s
premier college investment funds. I believe in the
nobility of this organization’s cause and, as a part
of the IFLP, look forward to seeing our integrated
program accomplish this mission, yielding top
candidates and attracting the best and brightest
students in the country.
2019-2020
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
During my freshman year, ASIF invoked my
passion for investing, providing mentors via older
students who supplied technical training and a
better understanding of various industries. This
is what drives our organization: the passion of
our students and their willingness to give back.
Without the many students who committed
their efforts to our program, we would not
have achieved the feats we have reached today.
However, this year, our leadership recognized
a need for better training mechanisms, greater
oversight, and stronger incentives for student
performance.
FMA 2019-2021 MAGAZINE 63