Center for Investment Studies

Center for Investment Studies

Founded in 2002, the USC Marshall School Center for Investment Studies (CIS) is a premier global academic institution specializing in financial analysis and valuation. The Center supports faculty research on capital markets, corporate finance, and investments. The Center also administers academic programs that equip undergraduate and graduate students with the knowledge of how financial markets work and the skills to identify investment opportunities congruent with investment objectives. The Center’s faculty, in collaboration with leading industry practitioners, not only teach the fundamentals of investment management, but connect theory to the real world. Students engage in hands on portfolio management, meet with industry leaders and connect with practitioners inside and outside the classroom through special events, speaker series and class trips to centers of industry.

PROGRAMS

Student Investment Fund (SIF) and Undergraduate Student Investment Fund (USIF)

The SIF and USIF programs offer an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to apply and join a one-year rigorous experiential course designed to provide in-depth exposure to contemporary investment and portfolio theory and management. Students engage in active investment management by managing a fund that is a part of USC’s endowment funds and apply critical and analytical concepts to funds management, valuation of various asset classes, conduct thorough company and sector research and apply portfolio optimization and behavioral finance concepts to their work.

- Babcock California Fund
- Global Equity Fund
- Provident Growth Fund
- Trojan Equity Fund
- Marshall Fixed-Income Fund

Board of Advisors

The Center for Investment Studies (CIS) is guided by a Board of Advisors who are leaders in the financial management industry. CIS originated with a gift from Board member Larry and Karen Tashjian, who believed that students needed real-world and hands-on learning opportunities in the realm of finance and portfolio management. Over the years, board members have contributed to creating a robust learning environment through their own thought leadership, links to industry practitioners and through philanthropic contributions to establish additional funds that broaden the scope and capacity of the Center to provide financial management training to students.

We are grateful to all our Board members and the broader CIS family of supporters for their commitment to our students and the mission of the Center.

Sincerely,

Suh-Pyng Ku
Director, Center for Investment Studies
Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics

Suh-Pyng Ku

Director, Center for Investment Studies
Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics
Amy Diamond

Chief Investment Officer
University of Southern California
David Iben

Managing Member and Founder
Kopernik Global Investors, LLC
Sharon Kilmer

Managing Director
Angelo, Gordon & Co.

NEWS + EVENTS

37th Student Investment Fund Annual Meeting (May 1, 2023)

This year’s keynote speech “US Exceptionalism at Risk?” was delivered by the legendary investor and philanthropist, Stan Druckenmiller, Founder, Duquesne Family Office LLC, which was followed by a thought-provoking Q&A session moderated by SIF 2015 alum Rubin Miller, Founder & CIO of Peltoma Capital Partners.
We thank Mr. Druckenmiller for sharing his time and expertise with us and commend the SIF Class of 2023 for all their effort on this year’s SIF program.
The Center is pleased to share the following:
- The keynote audio recording of Stan Druckenmiller's speech HERE and presentation HERE.
- The SIF 2023 Annual report, which provides a comprehensive overview of the class’s activities over the past year. Click HERE.