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The Marauder Fund is continuing to see success as the spring semester kicks off and new student officers take on their roles.
Millersville’s student-run investment portfolio allows students to gain hands-on experience working with the stock market. The fund began with an initial $190,000 investment in the fall of 2017 and is currently sitting at $314,232. This is an increase of approximately 65% overall, and 1.16% since last year, despite the uncertainty of the current economic climate. During the fall 2023 semester, the fund held five Buy/Sell pitches, four of which were successful. Plans for the spring are being discussed and finalized. Based on the current state of the stock market and the expectation that the Federal Reserve has finished raising interest rates, the Marauder Fund is expecting positive growth in 2024. Invested funds are a small portion of Millersville’s endowments and increases from the fund are used toward scholarships.
The fund is overseen by Dr. Ron Baker, associate professor of economics. Alongside hands-on experience, being involved with the Marauder Fund allows students unique opportunities to learn from financial professionals. “We will continue our professional seminar series where we invite local financial professionals to speak to the students about their career path,” says Baker. Some of these individuals are alumni of Millersville and the Marauder Fund.
The organization is comprised of three groups of students: Junior Analysts, Senior Analysts, and Executive Committee Officers. Analysts are involved with research and creation of pitches and are divided into five sectors of economic interest including; technology, industrials, finance and real estate, consumer and healthcare, with a Vice President overlooking each. Senior student Leah Miksa is taking on the position of CEO for the spring 2024 semester. The Marauder Fund accepts new members at the beginning of every semester and interested students can find more information here.
Miksa joined the Marauder Fund during her sophomore year and has worked her way through student positions as part of the industrial sector. After one semester as a Junior Analyst, Miksa was promoted to Senior Analyst before running for a Vice President position, which she held for three semesters before earning the CEO position. “I have come to learn that a good leader is not necessarily the one who knows the most, but someone who knows how to bring everyone’s individual skills together,” says Miksa.
In the position of CEO, Miksa can view the fund from a new angle. “Instead of being concerned primarily with my sectors’ performance, the CEO gets to view the portfolio holistically and compare individual sectors’ trajectory for the semester,” says Miksa. This opportunity allows for a deeper level of understanding of the fund and investing. “I expect to learn a lot about both the market as a whole and the other sectors in the fund that I was not previously a part of,” says Miksa.
Miksa feels as though she has gained more than just investment experience being a part of the organization. “Being successful in the association requires skills such as teamwork, data analytics, presenting and leadership, all of which are areas that employers look for in prospective employees,” she says.
