I wish to personally welcome you to the University Investors Association at the University of Texas at Austin.
There has never been a more exciting time for the UIA and I’m glad you’re looking into our progress, either as a current member, a prospective member who’s been witnessing all the hype, or a Corporate Partner looking to partner with a leading student organization that prides itself on being the primary link between the brightest students and the corporate world.
What makes this time such an exciting one for us is the unprecedented growth we are experiencing in our members base, our Corporate Partners and the constantly increasing level of interest from the University. Having been with the organization for the past two years, I can vouch for the high degree of Professionalism with which we operate. We have been able to have long lasting impacts on our members, with effective discussions, knowledgeable speaker sessions and informative events that we host throughout the year. If you’re looking to expand your horizons of classroom knowledge and interact with some of the brightest students at the University and learn from their experiences, then you’re looking at the right place!
I’m extremely excited to take on the role of leading this organization and taking it to new heights. In my endeavor to realize UIA’s full potential, the Executive Board has taken upon itself to prove to you, that the UIA will be the best investment that you will make during your college life, both in terms of your time and the membership dues. We have a plethora of ideas that we have successfully turned into events that we will host throughout this semester and year. I feel privileged to inform you of some of these initiatives and hope you will be as excited to be a part of them as us.
The Investment Focus Initiative is something we have revived to bring about a new focus. We have changed the model of the Investment Focus Group and what it entails. We will focus on one Investment Instrument or Product every month and have a designated Investment Focus meeting where we will educate the audience about the Investment vehicle and feature a corporate speaker to impart working knowledge of the vehicle. We have a diverse set of instruments and products this semester and hope you will enjoy learning about them.
Another initiative that is very close to my heart is the Face AIDS Initiative that the UIA has undertaken. We realize that we have been around for about a decade now and have not done as much for the society as we would have liked. An area that we have been lacking in, service towards our global community, has taken our attention and we decided to do something about it. I’m thrilled to announce a formal alliance with Face AIDS-Austin, a student organization working towards a campaign to mobilize and inspire students to fight AIDS in Africa. We have offered a percentage of our Membership dues towards this noble cause and wish to further the efforts of Face AIDS and all the great work that they have done so far!
Overall, we have an exciting list of social events planned for this semester, including the first ever ‘Investors Open’ Golf Tournament, Poker Tournament, Movie Nights, and many other Social events. Also, we are confident that you will stay gripped to the markets and the world of finance through the hugely popular UIA Stock Market Challenge, where we provide you with a unique opportunity to trade active stocks in a fantasy stock challenge with attractive prizes at the end of the semester.
There have been some major facelifts in how we will interact with our members. We will strive to keep this all new UIA website as current as possible, and will use popular means like Facebook to keep our members in the loop. We will also send out meeting information to our list serve in addition to our new marketing strategy that is being implemented. Our growing corporate partners base gives us a unique angle allowing diverse exposure to the industry.
I have always felt that you don’t have to be of any specific major or background to learn about Money and Investing. No matter where your interests may lie, knowledge of investing, money and the economy applies to everybody and I invite students of all majors and different backgrounds to the UIA. After all, the world of finance is a diverse place! Most of our members have historically been affiliated with the Business School, but that is in no way a prerequisite and we encourage interest from anyone who is interested in joining. Remember, no prior finance or investing knowledge required. That’s what we’re there for!
With a dedicated Executive Board that is focused on execution, an all new marketing strategy and complete financial accountability, I wish to welcome you to the University Investors Association.
I welcome you to an exciting journey and assure you of high rewards as we go along.
Sincerely,
Andrew Smith
President
University Investors Association
