In the fall of 2014, University of Memphis finance students will be treated to a brand new, state-of-the-art finance trading lab in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, thanks to a $1 million donation from Michael Cook.
Cook, a native Memphian and founder and CEO of the Memphis-based SouthernSun Asset Management, was recently named the 13th Investor in Excellence by the University.
The Fogelman College Investors in Excellence is a University-selected group of investors and supporters of the Fogelman College. They are selected based on their influence on enrollment, financial support of the college and their connections to the community.
The first to be awarded the title of Investors in Excellence were the Fogelman brothers themselves, Avron and Robert Fogelman, after whom the college was named.
“We believe that new financial analytics and trading lab offers the opportunity to be the epicenter of innovation for our University, and maybe one day, the model for public institutions of higher learning across the country to follow,” Cook said during his acceptance speech.
The Cook Trading Lab will be located on the first floor of Fogelman and will host 12 Bloomberg terminals for finance students to get experience using tools of the trade, surrounded by real time tickers and glass walls. The terminals are used in almost every professional financial firm and will allow students to see accurate financial data and how it impacts the market.
“Memphis has a world-class business industry and we are striving to continue this legacy,” Cook said. “But, we can’t just talk about being the best, we have to act upon our words. Through this Lab, our hope is to sharpen talented, young minds so that they will be equipped to steer our community towards a more positive and profitable future.”
Use of the lab will not be limited to just finance students, but will be open to students in a variety of majors, such as accounting, supply chain management, economics and international business.
Cook also pledged an additional matching grant of $500,000 in his agreement with the University.
