The Indiana State University Investment Club at Scott College of Business currently manages over $485,000 in assets in two investment funds.

James and Vanita Oelschlager Fund

The first fund is the James and Vanita Oelschlager Fund. The fund was created in 2001 with an endowment of $50,000. from Oak Associates group in Akron, Ohio which is owned by James and Vanita Oelschlager. Oak Associates initiated an investment contest between 19 universities in the Midwest. Each university were given $50,000 to invest in the market. The schools with the highest returns were awarded more money to invest in their portfolio. Indiana state University ranked first, in 2003 and was awarded $20,000, ranked second after Case Western University in 2004 and was awarded another $10,000 and were awarded $5,000 in 2004 for being the most improved Club after slipping in 2003. Every year 5% of the total value of the fund is transferred to a departmental account. The funds are then used to give awards to the students and cover the cost of their activities. In the last 10 years we distributed more than $30,000 on those student’s awards.

The colleges and universities involved in the competition were: the University of Wisconsin, Northwestern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, the College of Wooster, Indiana State University, Wittenberg University, Rutgers State University of New Jersey, Hiram College, University of Akron, Denison University, Case Western Reserve University, Duquesne University, University of Dayton, American University, Polytechnic University, Miami University, Mount Union College, University of Rio Grande and Wesleyan University.

Randall and Nancy Minas Fund

The second fund is the Randall and Nancy Minas Fund. The fund was on January 23, 2007, thanks to a gift from the Minas Foundation to establish an endowed fund in support of students, programs and faculty at the university. Their generous gift of $150,000, plus the Lilly Endowment's match of $1.25 per dollar contributed ($187,500), brings the total value of the Minas endowment to $337,500. The fund will support the operations of ISU's investment and financial education programs, the development of an electronic trading lab and provide numerous opportunities for learning and personal growth for students and faculty.

Randy and Nancy Minas extended another gift of $350,000 to Scott College of Business to support the Randall and Nancy Minas Center for Investment and Financial Education. The center was established in 2007 and encompasses the activities of the Scott College of Business' financial trading room, including activities of the student Investment Club. The Center's endowment helps to provide some of the technology in the financial trading room as well as ongoing faculty training and development. It also enhances student career development through special workshops, seminars, training events and guest speakers

The Student Investment Club under the direction of finance faculty within the College of Business and with advisement of an Investment Committee, consisting of the donor or his designee, the ISU Foundation Vice President, and an ISU Foundation Board Member, will control the investment of this endowment.  They would meet at least once a semester to review and make any decisions they deem necessary to best grow the fund.  Distributions shall be made in accordance with the current spending policies of the ISU Foundation Board of Directors.

Minas Center for Investment & Financial Education

The Randall and Nancy Minas Center for Investment and Financial Education was established in 2007 and encompasses the activities of the Scott College of Business' financial trading room, including activities of the student Investment Club, which manages a portfolio of over $400,000.

The Center's endowment helps to provide some of the technology in the financial trading room as well as ongoing faculty training and development. It also enhances student career development through special workshops, seminars, training events and guest speakers. << Read More >>

Randall and Nancy Minas provided for the Minas Center

Tarek Zaher

Tarek Zaher is a professor of Finance at Indiana State University. He has also held a number of professional positions with the industry and provided consulting services to a number of international institutions including the World Bank, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, and the Academy for Educational Development in the United States and the Ministry of Work in Dubai. He has also offered a number of seminars in investment and international financial management at a number of institutions around the world.

Dr. Zaher is the supervisor of the investment club at Indiana state university. He also manages and supervises other international portfolios for individuals and institutions. Dr. Zaher’s research has been published in numerous prestigious professional and scholarly journals, including the Journal of Financial Research and Journal of Banking and Finance. Dr. Zaher received three research awards from professional conferences and one research certificate of excellence. He was also recognized by the Scott College of Business as the winner of the faculty research award in 2002 and the winner of the exemplary service award in 2004.