(April 23, 2015)

Opportunities abound for Centenary Frost School of Business students

SHREVEPORT, LA — Students from Centenary's Frost School of Business hit the road this March to participate in two nationally recognized conferences.

Jeremy Hall '15 and Hank Strickler '15 a attended the ENGAGE International Investment Education Symposium in Detroit, Michigan, March 26-27. Professor of Accounting and Finance Dr. Barbara Davis taught Hall and Strickler in Finance 460: Advanced Investment Theory and Analysis.

"Each year since 2005, students in the class, who manage a little over $15,000 of Centenary's endowment, have been invited to attend the world's largest investment symposium for undergraduate and graduate finance students," said Davis. "This was a tremendous educational opportunity to hear from so many highly respected investment professionals."

Sponsored by the Wayne State University School of Business and Mainstay Capital Management in association with the United Nations Global Compact, ENGAGE International Investment Education Symposium is the largest student investment conference in the world. ENGAGE gives students an opportunity to participate in discussions with today's leading investment professionals in preparation for their roles as tomorrow's financial leaders.

On March 27, ten Centenary students from the Economics Department traveled to Dallas for the Economics Scholars Program (ESP) for Undergraduate Research. Each year, Economics majors are encouraged to submit their research from Econometrics and Senior Seminar for review, and if accepted, they are invited to present their research to student peers and professors from around the country.

"It is a wonderful experience for our students that allows them a glimpse into the research life of a Ph.D. economist," said Professor of Economics Dr. Betsy Rankin.

Of the ten students who attended, five presented research:

John Sidery '15: Determining NHL Attendance
Michael Pulllano '16: Resource Dependency and Income Inequality
Zack Provenza '15: Buying Wins in the NBA: An Analysis of the Factors of Player Win Shares
Ryan O'Donnell '15: Determinants of U.S. Automobile Market Share by Major Company
Gemma Zuniga '15: Do Campaign Expenditures Impact Election Results? The 2014 Midterm Elections in the House of Representatives

Students Ryan Stevens '15, Paul Arcement '16, Katie Chopin '16, Donovan Williams '15, and Wesle Coffman '16 also attended the conference.

"I had a very interesting experience at the conference because I was able to participate in so many aspects of research," said Zuniga. "I was able to present my own research, as well as analyze the research of others through my role as a discussant. My own work was very well received, despite being more in the realm of political research than that of economics, and I feel that other people were able to see the way with which these research methods can be extended to other disciplines."

This year was especially unique, as Michael Pullano became the first junior Centenary economics student to be invited to present research at the conference.

"The ESP conference was an awesome opportunity to interact with other economics students across the country and present my research as well as listen to what other like-minded students are researching," said Pullano. "I presented a paper that combined both subjects of my major: political science and economics. I was also nominated to be on the peer review board of students who decide which papers are accepted for presentation."

The conference is entirely student lead and designed to mimic a professional conference of economics. Thirty-six colleges and universities from 16 states were represented.

For more information visit centenary.edu/frost.