The Gustavus Finance Club
The Gustavus Finance Club promotes financial wellbeing on campus and assists Gustavus students in achieving their financial goals. The Club is advised by Professor and Chair of the Department Economics and Management, Sheng Yang, and consists of student members within the Economics and Management Department. One of the club’s goals is to educate the Gustavus community about their finances, which is done through organizing events and activities that promote financial education. In addition to educating the Gustavus community, the club also trains and educates its members to prepare them for careers in the field of finance. The club has been active for eight years, so there are many alumni currently working in finance or related fields. Because of this, the club facilitates networking opportunities with alumni and recruiters.
The Gustavus Finance Club has a detailed structure designed to fulfill its goals. With sub-committees of activities, education, and networking, the club can place members into smaller teams. These groups focus on networking with alumni and financial companies, planning on-campus events for the Gustavus community, and sharing financial information with the club and community, respectively. Additionally, more club members can step into leadership and planning roles.
The mission of the club is to enhance student learning and engagement in finance, as well as to assist them in career development and opportunities within the scope of finance.
The club promotes financial literacy, which is the skills and knowledge that enable individuals to make educated decisions about their finances. Since financial wellbeing is essential in life, the club also supports healthy lifestyle choices that support the overall well-being of an individual. Additionally, the club promotes networking with alumni and recruiters to help in a student’s life after college.
Being involved at Gustavus is important to the club. Annually, the club presents to First Term Seminar (FTS) classes to educate first-years on financial literacy. This event introduces students to the concepts of how to pay off loans, work with credit cards, and budget in college. Another club-sponsored financial resource is a brochure for graduating seniors. As seniors enter the “real world” after college, the club works to support them in making educated decisions about their financial future. The brochure provides information about buying/renting a house or apartment, how to build good credit, and what to do with student debt. Before the pandemic, the club would also host small educational events with prizes in the Courtyard Cafe.
When it is possible, the finance club appreciates their opportunities to go visit with other firms. With alumni all over the area, the club enjoys getting to know a variety of financial fields. This is a great opportunity to have a field trip. In the past, the club has visited Ameriprise Financial and Craig-Hallum in Minneapolis. These trips allow the club members to access new information and establish connections with potential employers. They give an insight into the financial world, where there are so many different jobs. These experiences help club members find a field that excites them and can open doors for their future careers.
During COVID, the club has stayed active in its ability to meet with firms. Though the club cannot network in person, the club has utilized the next best option: Zoom. The club has invited recent alumni to talk about how they have adjusted to the virtual world. The club is enthusiastic about anyone willing to share their time.
The Gustavus Finance Club is working hard to foster ways to establish lasting connections with club alumni. To do this, the club recently decided to make a Gustavus Finance Club LinkedIn page for current and former members. This platform gives members the ability to reach out to its accomplished alumni network. The learning opportunities are endless, giving our members resources to connect and succeed.
During the spring semester, the Gustavus Finance Club holds a banquet with a speaker in Alumni Hall. This is the biggest event of the year for the club. It takes a great deal of planning, as the club wants to welcome a speaker and captivate the audience. In a “normal” year, the club has someone from the financial world come and share their career experiences. Each year features a different topic of discussion. In the spring of 2019, the focus of the banquet was on entrepreneurship. The club invited Jim Hearn, a Gustavus grad with a History degree, who eventually pursued a career in real estate and later founded a real estate investment firm called ApexOne. The banquet was a huge success, the seats were filled with faculty and students.
This kind of event helps promote the club’s mission and goals. The club wants students and faculty to hear from outside perspectives on how these individuals shaped their lives in the world of finance. Obviously this year will look different, but the club is confident in our ability to conduct another successful banquet.
This year the club will be hosting the former CFO of 3M, Nick Gangestad from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on April 21 on Zoom. Gangestad will talk about building his brand and his career experiences.