USD Beacom School of Business Celebrates Ceremony for New Ellis Finance and Analytics Lab
The Ellis Finance & Analytics Lab is equipped with 12 Bloomberg Terminals, 20 laptop computers and cutting-edge analytics software platforms that will bring real-world experience into the classroom. Students and faculty will now have access to learn and conduct research on the same platform used by the world’s leading banks, corporations and government agencies.
Preparing students to have a high-level of data and analytics literacy so they can thrive in an increasingly data-driven world is a core priority for Dean Venky Venkatachalam of the Beacom School of Business. He emphasized that this lab will provide countless opportunities for faculty and students in all disciplines to come together for learning and research purposes.
“We work closely with leading employers in the region and across the country and they expect students to be highly literate in data and analytics skills,” said Venkatachalam. “By providing our students with this learning experience and teaching them the right skills, we give our students a competitive advantage and it allows us to continue to attract top employers to Beacom to recruit our students.”
The lab, which officially opened with the start of classes on Aug. 26, will be available for business classes, student organizations, faculty research and interdisciplinary research across campus. Students and faculty have already begun mastering the Bloomberg Market Concepts platform and some have achieved or are working toward Bloomberg Certification. Demonstrations of the new technology during the ribbon-cutting were showcased by:
- Klaus Beckmann, Ph.D., assistant professor of finance
- Sophia Lima, senior accounting and finance major, president of student organization Coyote Capital Management
- Nicholas Page, graduate Master of Professional Accountancy student, president of student organization Financial Management Association
“The Ellis family gift affirms USD’s reputation as the leader of business education in South Dakota,” said USD President Sheila K. Gestring. “Our students can compete with the best of the best, and will know how to use the world’s most sophisticated business and finance technology even before entering their first job. This gift is transformational for USD and will lead to graduates who will change our state and world.”
USD alumnus Gary Ellis and his wife Sue were in attendance for the event. “The lab turned out better than Sue and I imagined,” said Gary Ellis. “These resources will allow the students of USD to be even more successful in their careers and we are honored to be able to help with that.”
