ROCKY NOW Vol. 2 Issue 1
Fresh news every day at www.rocky.edu
January 2008
Rocky Now: Keeping our friends and supporters informed about what’s new and exciting at Rocky Mountain College
It’s all about our students If you ever have doubts about whether your contribu tions to RMC make a differ ence, we think you’ll find it refreshing to read about a student like Marianne Unquera. Marianne began her academic career at RMC when she RMC PHOTO was only 16 Marianne Unquera began years old. She her college career at an earis on track to lier than usual age, and will graduate early, wind it up on a fast track, completing her degree in finishing in three years. three rather than four years. An exceptional student – she had a perfect record of making the Dean’s List every semester – she also was a master at time management, handling a work-study position with the marketing and publications office for three years. “She has been indispensable,” said Dan Burkhart, director of marketing. “She is an extraordinary student and work study.” Marianne has managed all the email media lists, written and sent out press releases and supervised the hometown news distribution. In addition, she was responsible for marketing campaigns for summer school and the annual symposium on religion and culture. Currently, she is student teaching, on her way to a degree in education. RMC will have no prouder graduate than Marianne, and RMC can be just as proud of her.
Outperforming Wall St. Student-managed endowment class avoids the carnage and delivers a winning portfolio for the 8th year straight The stock market encountered a few bumps in the road during 2007, but the student-managed Rocky Mountain College Endowment Fund navigated through the carnage created by the housing industry’s sub-prime mess in good order. The fund for the eighth consecutive year outperformed its primary benchmark, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and closed the year with a value of $269,041.00, a gain of 9.5 percent. The management of these funds is accomplished through the Principles of Investing class and the RMC Investment Club at the College taught by Prof. Jim Anderson, business administration and economics. This year’s Investment Club had expanded membership and was much more structured with meetings every Dave Shumway, RMC other Thursday for one hour. The frequency of these meetings Prof. Jim Anderson leads a discussion with the RMC Investment Club. allowed the Club to cover an array of topics and resulted in a the unthinkable and, in essence, to learn more pro-active direction in the fund this how to think about those items ‘outside year. The fund’s asset allocation is domithe box’ of existing investment ideas,” nated by natural resource, hard asset Prof. Anderson said. investments and that strategy has worked The theory of contrary opinion and well again in 2007. Between the short value analysis plays a big part in this positions and cash holdings, fully 36% of search for ideas that will provide solid the account is hedged against a perceived investment results. Over the past eight poor year for the general stock market. years these theories have produced excel“Investing is a strange business. It’s lent rates of return. A side benefit of these the only one we know of where the more returns has resulted in $46,500.00 being expensive the products get, the more cuspaid back to the College with a vast tomers want to buy them. Students must majority of those funds going to students learn to think for themselves. They need in the form of scholarships or work aid to approach investing with an open, projects, explained Prof. Anderson. inquisitive mind, to learn to think about