Alumni Investment Leads to Scholarships

College of Business and Economics (COBE) students enrolled in the Student Managed Investment Program at Boise State University now have greater experiential learning opportunities thanks to a $100,000 gift by Allen and Dixie Dykman.  Allen, a ’74 COBE, and Dixie created a new investment fund in the program where finance students work with real money, contributed by donors, to give them hands-on investment experience.

The Dykman Student Managed Investment Fund will be run by students using licensed Bloomberg terminals located in the Dykman Financial Trading Room, which was also named after the donors. Here, students learn financial management skills using the same data, research, analytics, and software that industry professionals use.

“As a finance major, there was no other class that matched the true-to-life experience that I received from the Student Managed Investment Program,” said Corbin Harp, ’13, ’21, alum and current director of finance and analytics for COBE. “The ability to learn Bloomberg, get a taste of the stock market, and do in-depth financial analysis using live data was the highlight of my senior year at COBE.”

Corbin Harp
Students conduct research, estimate returns and risks, experiment with investment strategies, and ultimately decide how to allocate portfolios for each of the program’s four investment funds. After completing the class, students will have an e-portfolio of real market activity to show potential employers.

With faculty guidance, students will research, allocate and invest the portfolio of the Dykman Fund. Earnings realized from the Dykman Fund will enable students to help their fellow COBE classmates, as 4% of the annual fund balance will go toward current-use scholarships for business students.

“The Dykman gift is powerful because it empowers students with important activities they learned in their finance studies and can now apply through experiential learning,” said COBE Dean Mark Bannister. “The more effectively this fund is student-managed, the greater its annual contributions will be toward scholarships. Thank you, Allen and Dixie, for providing this opportunity for our business students.”

Mark Bannister
In addition to the Dykman gift, an anonymous donor has given $30,000 in matching funds for a one-to-one match of gifts to the Dykman Student Managed Investment Fund.

“As a scholarship recipient who benefited from the support of others when I attended Boise State, it’s important to us to help today’s students succeed,” Allen said. “The hands-on education these students gain through the program not only prepares them to be ready for their careers, but is a great investment in our future business leaders.”

Other investment funds within the program include:

• Schlindwein Student Managed Investment Fund: The founding fund of the program, investments are focused on mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
• Student Managed Investment Fund: Students invest in a wide range of investment vehicles.
• COBE Impact Investment Fund: Investments are driven by environmental, social and governance factors determined by the students.

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