Sept. 25, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by the USD Beacom School of Business.

Incoming college students are already data-savvy. And their future employers want them to be even more so.

Both will benefit from the newest addition at the USD Beacom School of Business, which puts our increasingly data-driven world at the fingertips of business students studying it and faculty broadening their knowledge through research.

The newly opened Ellis Finance & Analytics Lab uses Bloomberg Terminal – the industry standard for business and financial information – and other software to offer students a transformative learning environment.

“I envision the Ellis Finance & Analytics Lab as a digital sandbox, where students and faculty from business and non-business disciplines can collaborate for teaching and research purposes,” said Venky Venkatachalam, dean of the USD Beacom School of Business.

“The lab offers a great opportunity to bring innovation in teaching and pedagogy. It can be used to teach students how to solve problems from beginning to end. There are a host of opportunities for creative thinking, unparalleled research and learning opportunities.”

Through the Bloomberg Terminal, educators and students can access cross-asset, real-time data and historical time series analysis in all markets. Students will learn how to analyze financial markets, assess economic scenarios and interpret the key news developments that impact the global economy.

Key features and benefits of the Ellis Finance & Analytics Lab include:

• Collaborative learning environment for students and faculty.
• State-of-the-art technology, including 12 Bloomberg Terminal stations and additional laptop computers to aid in complex investment decisions.
• Access to a vast amount of corporate data, research, news and analytics to facilitate interdisciplinary research and study.
• Advanced computer hardware and software for analysis and data visualization.
• Simulation tools to enable financial decision-making.

“It doesn’t matter whether a student is focusing on economics, accounting, human resources or operations — a high level of data and analytics literacy is critical,” Venkatachalam said.

“As a result, this is an essential part of Beacom’s learning experience. This focus will help sustain our competitive advantage in the marketplace, as well as our students’ competitive advantage when they start their careers.”

The lab will uniquely position students for internships and careers, he added. By learning the depth and breadth of Bloomberg Market Concepts and becoming certified, students who already are sought after by the likes of TD Ameritrade, LinkedIn, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and KPMG will find even more opportunities.

“There are a lot of high-quality students looking for a challenging environment, caring faculty to coach and mentor students, and great outcomes after graduation,” Venkatachalam said.

“We are already delivering great results in these areas, so adding the lab will further differentiate the Beacom School of Business. The unparalleled experience we offer students at an affordable price is really what makes us different.”

Graduate student Nicholas Page has already experienced the new Ellis Finance & Analytics Lab, completing his Bloomberg certification in a matter of weeks. The process generally takes a couple of months, and he already has started helping others.

“It’s self-paced learning, so I did that, and now I’m doing my own research,” he said. “I’m still learning, but I’m in a bit of a position to teach the younger students how to navigate around it and what data to pull from it.”

He has started to use the system to research companies he plans to visit on an upcoming trip to Minneapolis and said it’s not that different from using a traditional search engine.

“It has the same kind of feel when you search for something, and the algorithm narrows into what you’re looking for,” Page said.

“From a broader perspective, I think these tools definitely will separate USD students from others as they enter the workforce.”

Page, who also serves as president of the USD student organization Financial Management Association and as a technology sector leader for Coyote Capital Management, is an accounting major who wants to go into auditing. He sees broad applications for students learning in the new lab.

“If you can show you’ve been utilizing a tool that is so powerful in data mining, it will be a huge differentiator for us coming out of college,” he said. “The students just coming in will have a great advantage with years of having the Bloomberg Terminal available to use, and it’s free to get the certification too. It’s going to definitely be beneficial for students.”

The lab was funded with a gift from the Ellis family; Gary Ellis is a distinguished USD alumnus who has served as the chief financial officer for a multinational corporation.

“He knows firsthand the demands of skills and knowledge leading companies require, so he was very passionate about providing that education and experience for our students,” Venkatachalam said.

Ellis said he was pleased to be able to make the lab a reality for faculty and students.

“This new lab will provide transformative learning opportunities for the students as well as creative research opportunities for the faculty in the business school,” he said.

With the Ellis Finance & Analytics Lab, USD faculty also will be able to better integrate industry-leading data, research, news and analytics into teaching curriculum and research.

“Our faculty will use the lab to provide innovations in curriculum,” Venkatachalam said.

“Whether the subject is digital marketing, econometrics, supply chain management, derivatives or forensic accounting, the lab offers tremendous opportunities to incorporate new technology and learning into the pedagogy. In addition, the vast amount of data, historical information and news offers a tremendous opportunity for research in our faculty’s respective disciplines.”

Because of licensing agreements, only USD faculty and students are allowed to use the lab, as it is intended for academic purposes.

The public can see the lab at a ribbon-cutting at 10:30 a.m. Friday in Beacom Hall, 414 E. Clark St. There will be a demonstration by faculty and students along with the ceremony.