Key Takeaways
- • Florida State University's Student Investment Fund ranks No. 10 among public university student-managed investment funds nationwide and No. 23 across all North American institutions, with current assets valued at $11.5 million as of 2025 performance metrics.
- • The SIF has grown substantially since its 2008 inception funded by $1.3 million in combined private donations and university foundation support, representing significant asset accumulation over 17 years of operations.
- • The fund operates from the Peter & Mary Lee Jones Trading Room within the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence, equipped with Bloomberg terminals and institutional-grade technology infrastructure comparable to leading Wall Street firms.
- • Master's students in FSU's Finance program serve as portfolio managers while top undergraduate students from the Investment Group function as analysts, creating a structured experiential learning model for investment management education.
- • FSU is the only Florida business school ranked in the top 25 student-managed investment funds nationally, according to The Center for Investment Research rankings.
Summary
Florida State University's Student Investment Fund has achieved a Top 10 ranking among student-managed investment funds at public institutions nationwide, securing the No. 10 position based on 2025 performance metrics released by The Center for Investment Research. The fund ranks No. 23 across all North American schools, public and private combined, with current assets valued at $11.5 million. This achievement marks FSU as the sole Florida business school represented in the top 25 national rankings for student-managed funds.
The SIF's growth trajectory reflects substantial capital accumulation since its launch in 2008, when the fund began operations with $1.3 million in combined seed funding from private donations and Florida State University Foundation grants. According to Steve Perfect, vice chair of the SIF oversight board and associate professor of finance, the fund has grown nearly 9-fold over this 17-year period, demonstrating consistent value creation and capital retention.
The fund's operations center on the Peter & Mary Lee Jones Trading Room, located within the newly constructed Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. The facility is equipped with Bloomberg terminals and institutional-grade trading technology utilized by major Wall Street firms, providing students with professional-grade tools for portfolio analysis and decision-making. This infrastructure positions FSU's program among the more resource-intensive student investment operations in the country.
The fund operates under a dual-tier management structure. Master's students in FSU's Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program assume portfolio manager roles, while top-performing undergraduates from the college's Undergraduate Investment Group serve as research analysts. Don Autore, Dean L. Cash Professor of Finance and chair of the Department of Finance, notes that the SIF provides students with hands-on experience as portfolio managers and analysts under faculty guidance. Andrew Schrowang, MSF program coordinator, emphasizes that experiential learning through fund management represents one of the program's most impactful educational opportunities.
The SIF's growth trajectory reflects substantial capital accumulation since its launch in 2008, when the fund began operations with $1.3 million in combined seed funding from private donations and Florida State University Foundation grants. According to Steve Perfect, vice chair of the SIF oversight board and associate professor of finance, the fund has grown nearly 9-fold over this 17-year period, demonstrating consistent value creation and capital retention.
The fund's operations center on the Peter & Mary Lee Jones Trading Room, located within the newly constructed Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. The facility is equipped with Bloomberg terminals and institutional-grade trading technology utilized by major Wall Street firms, providing students with professional-grade tools for portfolio analysis and decision-making. This infrastructure positions FSU's program among the more resource-intensive student investment operations in the country.
The fund operates under a dual-tier management structure. Master's students in FSU's Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program assume portfolio manager roles, while top-performing undergraduates from the college's Undergraduate Investment Group serve as research analysts. Don Autore, Dean L. Cash Professor of Finance and chair of the Department of Finance, notes that the SIF provides students with hands-on experience as portfolio managers and analysts under faculty guidance. Andrew Schrowang, MSF program coordinator, emphasizes that experiential learning through fund management represents one of the program's most impactful educational opportunities.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.