Portfolio Practicum
Invest Millions Through This Hands-On Learning Course
In the Portfolio Practicum course, Heider College of Business seniors have the opportunity to invest more than $10 million of Creighton University endowment funds. Student managers are responsible for managing the Creighton University Student Portfolio (CUSP Fund), and are held to the same level of accountability as outside managers by the University Investment Committee.
Students use our state-of-the-art Heider Securities Investment and Analysis Center. Modeled after the New York Stock Exchange, it features:
- 10 Bloomberg terminals
- 42-foot premium LED ticker display
- Three 110-inch, fully interactive video walls
- 6-zone world clock
Students apply for the two-semester Portfolio Practicum, in the spring semester. The course addresses the following topics:
- Equity research and valuation techniques
- Performance evaluation of the CUSP Fund holdings
- Portfolio construction and management
- Presentation of investment recommendations and strategies
- The discussion of current investment management techniques, strategies, and issues
To apply for the FIN 435 Portfolio Practicum course, please submit the following by Wednesday, March 2, 2022, to Nicole McAndrew, Administrative Assistant in the Heider College of Business, 3rd Floor Reception:
- A one-page personal resume that includes your grade point average, work experience, investment experience and whatever other experiences you feel qualify you for this class. You may break your grade point down into areas, such as cumulative, in Finance, in the Heider College of Business or the last year. Feel free to add any insights about your grade point average.
- A one-page paper detailing the reasons you want to take the course.
- Print out and complete this cover letter, providing your name, phone number, email address and the semester you took FIN 325. You will need to have the cover letter signed by a Heider College of Business faculty member from whom you have taken a class.
Application Evaluations
- A finance professor and several members of the current portfolio class will interview you prior to your acceptance into the course.
- You will need to select an interview time. Applicants will be notified how to do this.
- You will be notified via e-mail with details regarding the interview.
Prior to the start of registration for the Fall semester, you will be notified by e-mail regarding your application for the class. If accepted, you will be granted an override that will allow you to register for the class.
Additional Information
The Portfolio Practicum is a two-class sequence open to seniors who will have completed FIN 325 by the start of class. When you apply for FIN 435 you are committing to taking FIN 436 during the Spring semester as well. The course requires considerable outside work so only students who have adequate time to commit to the course should consider applying. If you have any questions about the application process or the Portfolio Practicum course, please feel free to contact Dr. Randy Jorgensen in Harper 3016D or by email at randyjorgensen@creighton.edu.
Daniel Bohnemann
Major(s): Fintech
Hometown: Leavenworth, Kansas
Internship(s): Encode Club, London, United Kingdom
Post-graduation Employment: Program Manager, Encode Club, London, United Kingdom
Decision Article: Teradyne’s Market Niche Spurs Purchase for CUSP
Eric Cote
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Marketing
Hometown: Woodbury, Minnesota
Internship(s): North Star Resource Group, Minneapolis, MN; MassMutual, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Financial Advisor, MassMutual, Omaha
Jack Eckels
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Accounting
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Internships: Mission Peak Capital, Kansas City, MO; CC Capital Advisors, Kansas City, MO
Post-graduation Employment: Investment Banking Analyst, Stephens, Little Rock, AK
Haley Gilbertson
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Business Intelligence and Analytics
Hometown: Blaine, Minnesota
Internship(s): Bridges Trust, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Research Analyst, Bridges Trust, Omaha
Ethan Hill
Major(s): Finance; Minor: Economics
Hometown: Chesterfield, Missouri
Internship(s): Tenaska, Omaha; TD Ameritrade, St. Louis
Post-graduation Employment: Credit and Risk Analyst, Carbon Better, Austin, TX
Brennan Horak
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Accounting
Hometown: Washington, Iowa
Internship(s): KPMG, Omaha; TD Ameritrade, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Deal Advisory and Strategy Practice, KPMG, Chicago, IL
Decision Article: Teradyne’s Market Niche Spurs Purchase for CUSP
David (Minh) Huynh
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Economics
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Internship(s): Integrated Finance Trade LLC, Omaha; Creighton University, Omaha; PWC, Vietnam
Post-graduation Education: Master’s of Investment Management and Financial Analysis, Creighton University
Gabrielle Keaton
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Business Intelligence and Analytics
Hometown: Fremont, Nebraska
Internship(s): Burlington Capital, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Financial Analyst, Burlington Capital, Omaha
Decision Article: BERY: Portfolio Practicum’s Choice for the Materials Sector
Colin Lakeman
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track); Minor: Biology
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Internship(s): Dundee Venture Capital, Omaha; Mutual of Omaha, Omaha: Two Roads Advisors, New York, NY
Post-graduation Employment: Investment Banking Analyst, Lincoln International, Chicago, IL
Decision Article: Assurant Inc.’s Specialty Insurance Niche Drives Addition to CUSP
Alex Littleton
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Economics
Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin
Internship(s): Markel, Omaha; Fidelity Financial Corporation, Omaha; Carson Group, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Financial Analyst, Carson Group, Omaha
Josephine Otto
Major(s): Finance (Financial Planning track)
Hometown: Alliance, Nebraska
Internship(s): Box Butte General Hospital, Alliance, NE; Edward Jones Investments, Alliance, NE and St. Louis, MO
Post-graduation Education: Master of Financial Planning Graduate Student, Creighton University
Dave Roberts
Major(s): Finance and Accounting
Hometown: Dunlap, Iowa
Internship(s): JPMorgan Chase, Dallas, TX; KPMG, Omaha; Union Pacific, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Associate, L.E.K. Consulting, Chicago, IL
Decision Article: CUSP Selects CASY as Consumer Staples Sector Choice
Jake Ronneberg
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track); Minor: Mathematics
Hometown: Naperville, Illinois
Internship(s): Mutual of Omaha, Omaha; Goldman Sachs, New York, NY
Post-graduation Employment: Investment Banking Analyst, William Blair, Chicago, IL
Decision Article: Assurant Inc.’s Specialty Insurance Niche Drives Addition to CUSP
Noah Schalley
Major(s): FinTech and Economics
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Internship(s): Tributary Capital Management, Omaha; Bridgepoint Investment Banking, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Investment Banking Analyst, William Blair, Chicago, IL
Kristian Shad
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Accounting
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Internship(s): Infinity CPA Group, Omaha; Circle CPA, Omaha
Jackson Stamper
Major(s): Fintech and Business Intelligence and Analytics
Hometown: Bettendorf, Iowa
Internship(s): TRD Incorporated, Bettendorf, IA; TD Ameritrade, Omaha; McCarthy Capital, Omaha; Five Elms Capital, Kansas City, MO
Post-graduation Employment: Financial Analyst, Five Elms Capital, Kansas City, MO
Decision Article: Teradyne’s Market Niche Spurs Purchase for CUSP
Annie Trettel
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and International Business; Minor: Spanish
Hometown: Kearney, Nebraska
Internship(s): Dundee Bank, Omaha; NETeamMates, Omaha; Harrison Financial Services, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Private Bank Analyst, J.P. Morgan, Minneapolis, MN
Decision Article: BERY: Portfolio Practicum’s Choice for the Materials Sector
Izzy Watts
Major(s): Finance (Financial Analysis track) and Accounting
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Internship(s): Union Pacific, Omaha; RubinBrown, Denver, CO
Post-graduation Employment: Audit, RSM, Denver, CO
Jack Wolfgram
Major(s): Finance and Accounting
Hometown: Yankton, South Dakota
Internship(s): Mutual of Omaha, Omaha; Union Pacific, Omaha
Post-graduation Employment: Financial Planning Associate, WIT Capital Management, Omaha
Decision Article: CUSP Selects CASY as Consumer Staples Sector Choice
2021-2022 CUSP Decisions
Assurant Inc.’s Specialty Insurance Niche Drives Addition to CUSP (Lakeman and Ronneberg)
CUSP Selects CASY as Consumer Staples Sector Choice (Roberts and Wolfgram)
Teradyne’s Market Niche Spurs Purchase for CUSP (Bohnemann, Horack and Stamper)
BERY: Portfolio Practicum’s Choice for the Materials Sector (Trettel and Keaton)
O’Reilly Investment Decision (Watts and Gilbertson)
Nexstar Added to CUSP in April 2022 (Eckels and Schalley)
Qualcomm’s Unique Patents and Attributes Appeal to CUSP Managers (Bohnemann, Horak and Stamper)
CUSP Managers Vote for Status Quo in Industrial Sector (Shad and Hill)
Freeport-McMoRan Is Added to CUSP Based on Its Prospects for Mining Copper (Trettel and Keaton)
Horizon Therapeutics Added to Healthcare Sector (Littleton and Otto)
CUSP Managers Sell Skyworks and Hold Applied Materials (Horak, Stamper, Bohnemann)
Meta Voted a Hold for CUSP April 19th (Eckels and Schalley)
CUSP Return Attribution for 2021 (Lakeman and Ronneberg)
Financials Discussion (Cote and Huynh)
2022 CUSP Analysis
Portfolio Rebalancing to Meeting University Guidelines (Trettel and Keaton)
2022 CUSP Sector Allocation (Hill and Shad)
CUSP Investment Style (Eckels and Schalley)
A Year in Review (Littleton and Otto)
2022 CUSP Market Cap Analysis (Horak, Stamper, Bohnemann)
Capturing Value through Satellite Holdings (Roberts and Wolfgram)
CUSP Returns Analysis (Gilbertson and Watts)
CUSP Stock Purchases and Sales during the 2021-2022 Academic Year
May 2022 CUSP Academic Year End Holdings
| Sector | Holding | Ticker | Market Value ($) | CUSP Weight (%) |
| Consumer Discretionary | $997,264.85 | 10.35% | ||
| Amazon | AMZN | $186,380.25 | 1.93% | |
| Booking Hldgs | BKNG | $105,296.50 | 1.09% | |
| Hasbro Inc | HAS | $158,532.40 | 1.64% | |
| Mcdonalds | MCD | $245,870.00 | 2.55% | |
| O Reilly Automotive | ORLY | $96,558.40 | 1.00% | |
| Ulta | ULTA | $204,627.30 | 2.12% | |
| Consumer Staples | $804,132.90 | 8.34% | ||
| Caseys | CASY | $161,806.35 | 1.68% | |
| Constellation Brands | STZ | $232,797.50 | 2.42% | |
| Pepsico | PEP | $251,145.05 | 2.61% | |
| Philip Morris Intl | PM | $158,384.00 | 1.64% | |
| Energy | $218,915.00 | 2.27% | ||
| Callon Pete Co | CPE | $40,176.00 | 0.42% | |
| Chevron Corp | CVX | $178,739.00 | 1.85% | |
| Financials | $1,238,684.00 | 12.85% | ||
| Allstate | ALL | $168,714.00 | 1.75% | |
| Bank Of America | BAC | $146,464.00 | 1.52% | |
| Assurant Inc | AIZ | $211,641.00 | 2.20% | |
| Evercore Inc | EVR | $177,856.00 | 1.85% | |
| Hilltop Holdings | HTH | $148,458.50 | 1.54% | |
| Jpmorgan Chase | JPM | $166,090.50 | 1.72% | |
| Prudential Finl | PRU | $219,460.00 | 2.28% | |
| Health Care | $1,299,235.60 | 13.48% | ||
| Abbott | ABT | $152,904.80 | 1.59% | |
| Horizon | HZNP | $104,192.00 | 1.08% | |
| Medtronic | MDT | $206,220.00 | 2.14% | |
| Regeneron | REGN | $231,171.50 | 2.40% | |
| Resmed | RMD | $157,136.00 | 1.63% | |
| Unitedhealth Group | UNH | $232,323.30 | 2.41% | |
| Vertex | VRTX | $215,288.00 | 2.23% | |
| Industrials | $1,071,166.50 | 11.11% | ||
| 3M Company | MMM | $102,175.20 | 1.06% | |
| Acuity Brands | AYI | $156,042.00 | 1.62% | |
| Amerco Com | UHAL | $202,978.30 | 2.11% | |
| Boeing | BA | $107,506.00 | 1.12% | |
| Fedex | FDX | $103,708.80 | 1.08% | |
| Snap On Inc | SNA | $129,670.20 | 1.35% | |
| Triton Intl Ltd | TRTN | $269,086.00 | 2.79% | |
| Information Technology | $2,281,101.10 | 23.67% | ||
| Adobe | ADBE | $142,653.00 | 1.48% | |
| Apple | AAPL | $223,272.00 | 2.32% | |
| Applied Matls | AMAT | $204,840.00 | 2.13% | |
| Fabrinet Shs | FN | $187,260.00 | 1.94% | |
| Lam Resh | LRCX | $169,886.50 | 1.76% | |
| Micron Technology | MU | $163,898.00 | 1.70% | |
| Microsoft | MSFT | $284,597.80 | 2.95% | |
| Mks Instrument | MKSI | $134,176.00 | 1.39% | |
| Oracle | ORCL | $183,225.00 | 1.90% | |
| Qualcomm Inc | QCOM | $173,112.00 | 1.80% | |
| Teradyne | TER | $161,823.20 | 1.68% | |
| Visa Inc Com | V | $252,357.60 | 2.57% | |
| Materials | $433,789.80 | 4.50% | ||
| Albemarle | ALB | $90,675.20 | 0.94% | |
| Bery Global | BERY | $150,098.00 | 1.56% | |
| Freeport-McMoran | FCX | $84,315.00 | 0.87% | |
| Lyondellbasell Industries N V | LYB | $108,701.60 | 1.13% | |
| Real Estate | $399,848.61 | 4.15% | ||
| American Tower | AMT | $119,299.95 | 1.24% | |
| Mgm Growth Pptys Llc Cl | MGP | $166,072.40 | 1.72% | |
| VICI Properties Inc | VICI | $114,476.26 | 1.19% | |
| Communication Services | $889,881.85 | 9.23% | ||
| Alphabet Inc Cap Stk | GOOG | $283,510.80 | 2.94% | |
| Disney Walt | DIS | $160,105.50 | 1.66% | |
| Electronic Arts | EA | $147,012.00 | 1.53% | |
| Facebook Inc | FB | $93,293.20 | 0.97% | |
| Nexstar Media Group | NXST | $133,790.25 | 1.39% | |
| Verizon Communications | VZ | $72,170.10 | 0.75% | |
Pass the Portfolio On
After completing the two-semester course, students interview the next practicum applicants and pass the portfolio to them.
AACSB
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation puts Heider in the top 2% of business schools in the world.
