The Claremont Colleges' first ever Wall Street Weekend, organized solely by students across The Colleges, will be held Friday, Oct. 12 and Saturday, Oct. 13an opportunity for alumni, students, and faculty interested in finance to network, become familiar with consortium-wide career development opportunities, and learn more about money management.
"It's not just a finance event," says conference organizer Aseem Vyas '08, "It will be the first-ever 7C finance event, with each college bringing a different perspective. And by working with so many people across campuses, weas students have been able to shoulder a great deal of the responsibility and gain a lot of experience in making this happen."
Alumni will open the event with a dinner and reception on Friday, Oct. 12. Students and faculty will join in Saturday morning with a networking breakfast in Pomona College's Edmunds Ballroom. All participants will then have a chance to listen to panel discussions on hedge funds and private equity.
The conference is designed to highlight the consortium's value as an institution, successfully contributing to the worldwide business sector, while encouraging further connections across the Claremont finance community, past and present. Among those in attendance will be a variety of leading alumni in finance, including keynote speaker Harry T. McMahon '75 P'08 '09, chair of the CMC Board of Trustees and vice chairman of Merrill Lynch.
"It's a great way to get younger students involved," says organizer Catherine Powers '08. "When I first came to CMC, I was curious about careers in finance but didn't have much information or awareness of what was out there. We hope this event will do more to draw in younger students so they can get a sense of their options at an early stage in their education."
In particular, organizers hope the panel discussions on hedge funds and private equity will add a new dimension for students considering careers in finance, as well as those who are merely curious about the field.
"Even if people aren't looking for careers in finance, I think they will still get a lot out of the sessions," said Vyas. "Major legislation issues will be discussed. Hedge funds and private equity are very important in the modern economy. We're hoping to listen carefully to experts in the field maybe even get a sense of how the economy's doing."
Moderated by Dr. Ludwig B. Chincarini of Pomona College, the Hedge Fund panel will be comprised of Scott Barker, a portfolio manager with Analytic Investors, Inc. (POM '87), Dana Hobson, senior vice president of Bailard (HMC '85), and Peter G. Sasaki, the founder and managing member of Logo Capital Management, LLC (POM '91).
Janet Smith, CMC's Von Tobel Professor of Economics, will moderate the panel discussion about private equity. Speakers are expected to include Paul S. Efron (POM '77), advisory director, Goldman Sachs; Kristin Horne (POM '93), managing director, Morgan Stanley; and James A. Quella, senior managing director and senior operating partner, Blackstone's Private Equity Group.
McMahon will then deliver his keynote speech to participants at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum at CMC during lunch.
Following the address and closing remarks, all participants are invited to a final reception at Claremont Graduate University, and an optional trip to Pomona College for light and space artist James Turrell's first public Skyspace exhibition in Southern California.
"Wall Street Weekend promises to be an extraordinary event for students and alumni alike," said Stephen M. Siegel '87, CMC's director of institute relations. "Participants will have the unique opportunity to learn about a rapidly-changing industry from those who are leading change."
For more information and to register for the event, visit: www.wsweekend.com.