East Tennessee State University students are about to get their hands on something many college students only dream of: real money to invest and markets to navigate.
ETSU’s College of Business and Technology’s new partnership with Citizens Bank provides ETSU students with expanded, hands-on experience managing investment portfolios.
Through a new agreement with the Citizens Bank Tri-Cities Foundation and the LaPorte family, ETSU’s Center for the Study of Finance will receive funding for two new Student Managed Investment Funds known as “The Citizens Bank Fund” and “The LaPorte Fund.”
This support will allow students to actively manage a portion of the foundation’s assets.
Chairman Joe LaPorte of Citizens Bank said: “We are excited to participate with ETSU, and it’s an opportunity for the students that mirrors the work of professional investment managers.”
“When we established the ETSU Center for the Study of Finance, one of the goals was to create new educational opportunities for students that would help them gain real-world experience in areas that would accelerate them into future careers,” said Dr. Tony Pittarese, dean of the college. “This partnership with Citizens is a great example of the Center partnering with local businesses to advance their organizational goals and ours in a way that makes a meaningful difference.”
The Student-Managed Investment Fund allows finance students to apply classroom concepts to real markets. Under faculty guidance, students conduct market research, analyze potential investments and make buy-and-sell recommendations with actual funds. This experience not only builds technical skills in portfolio management, risk assessment and asset allocation, but also sharpens communication and decision-making abilities.
Citizens Bank’s commitment strengthens the program by expanding the scale of assets under management, which can open the door to more diverse investment strategies and deeper learning experiences.
“Our students aren’t just reading about financial markets and learning theoretical models, but applying them to real stakes with real accountability,” said Dr. William Trainor, director of the Center for the Study of Finance and primary faculty advisor for the funds. Kevin Kilgore, professor of practice and associate director of the Center for the Study of Finance, added: “This is exactly the kind of applied learning that sets ETSU students apart.”
The collaboration also reinforces ETSU’s role in preparing a skilled workforce for Appalachia.
Students gain a clearer understanding of how investment strategies connect to broader economic goals. It’s the type of experience that translates directly to careers in finance, banking and beyond.
Learn about the ways ETSU provides hands-on experience for students at etsu.edu/go-beyond.
