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A Gift for Student Investors at USC Marshall School of Business
[January 28, 2015]

A Gift for Student Investors at USC Marshall School of Business


Student investors at the USC Marshall School of Business will soon benefit from access to a significant source of new capital. Van Eck Global, an investment management firm based in New York, has donated $3 million for a new student investment fund and educational travel scholarship.

"We are very excited to forge strong links between Van Eck Global and the USC Marshall School of Business and the Center for Investment Studies," said Jan van Eck, CEO, Director and President of Van Eck Global. "We hope this gift will encourage Marshall students to pursue careers in the investment community."

The Center for Investment Studies (CIS) will administer the new fund and scholarship.

"We are enormously grateful for Van Eck Global's commitment in helping our students grow," said Suh-Pyng Ku, professor of clinical finance and business economics and the director of CIS. "This is a very significant gift for our student investment fund program. I'm thrilled for the students' expanded learning opportunities in ETF asset allocation across a wide range of asset classes."

The new fund-to be named the Van Eck Global Student Allocation Fund-will be seeded with $2 million of the gift. The objective of the Fund is to explore asset allocation methods, which is different from many other student investment programs that focus on security selection. Van Eck Global is a leading manager of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), offering investors a wide range of equity and fixed income alternatives. The total ETF market has grown to exceed $2 trillion globally. The remaining $1 million will go toward creating the Van Eck Global Scholarship Program, which will help student investors travel to New York and elsewhere to present their fund portfolio results.



"With the Van Eck Global Scholars program, the company hopes to incentivize high-achieving students to pursue their dreams on a larger stage and consider launching their careers in New York City, which is the hub of the investment management community," said Cynthia van Eck ('86), Jan van Eck's wife.

"With their generous and visionary gift, the Van Eck organization is helping to grow USC Marshall's reputation within the investment management community," said James G. Ellis, dean of USC Marshall. "There is already a strong connection between our alumni and the investment community in New York, and the Van Eck Scholars program will make it even more robust for future generations of Trojans."


The CIS was created in 2001 with a gift from Larry (MBA '76) and Karen Tashjian. It is a forum for students to acquire experiential learning, faculty to conduct research and industry practitioners to share valuable insights.

The generous Van Eck Global gift helps to advance the Campaign for the University of Southern California, a multi-year initiative to raise $6 billion or more in private philanthropy to advance USC's academic priorities and expand its positive contributions to the community and the world. USC Marshall has raised nearly $300 million of its $400 million contribution toward the total goal.

About the USC Marshall School of Business

Consistently ranked among the nation's premier schools, USC Marshall is internationally recognized for its emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, social responsibility and path-breaking research. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the world's leading business centers and the U.S. gateway to the Pacific Rim, Marshall offers its 5,700-plus undergraduate and graduate students a unique world view and impressive global experiential opportunities. With an alumni community spanning 123 countries, USC Marshall students join a worldwide community of thought leaders who are redefining the way business works.


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