School of Business to hold open house for financial leadership lab
April 8, 2010
CHARLESTON, SC – April 16, 2010 – The Citadel School of Business Administration will hold an open house at 2 p.m. Friday, April 16, 2010, in honor of the Rick and Mary Lee Bastin Financial Leadership Lab.
The Leadership Lab will use state-of-the-art technology and software to give undergraduate cadets and graduate students a real-world educational experience in finance and investments. With dual monitor computer stations, electronic ticker, four-panel video wall and projection equipment the lab will have the feel of a small-scale trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange.
Funding for the lab was donated by Rick and Mary Lee Bastin of Jupiter, Fla. Rick Bastin is a 1965 graduate of The Citadel. He currently serves on the School of Business Administration Advisory Board. After serving three years in the Army, Bastin went to work in the family Mercedes-Benz dealership, eventually becoming owner of the business. He sold the business and retired in 2006.
“With the movement of financial markets to automated trading systems and the wealth of information available to those making investment decisions, it is important to expose students to the latest technology and most current data sources in a real life setting,” said Ron Green, dean of the School of Business Administration.
“This facility will be used by a variety of finance-oriented courses that will expose students to a decision-making environment similar to what they will face as they enter the workplace,” Green said. “It will also prepare them ultimately to assume leadership roles in the currently troubled financial services industry.”
The lab is the first step in the creation of The Citadel Financial Services Education Center where students will assume leadership roles in a finance and investment club and develop and present fundamental financial education programs for local and regional middle and high schools.
The open house is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the School of Business Administration at 843.953.5056.
