School of Business

Summerfield Hall new hot spot

Starting this semester, Summerfield Hall is now offering wireless Internet to School of Business students and faculty. The school joined more than 20 campus KU Wireless Zones in an effort eliminate cables and upgrade technology. According to Director of Information Systems Greg Freix, hot spots, including Koch Commons and Howey Reading Room, were strategically placed throughout the building for maximum convenience. Users can also access printers from the wireless connections.

“There are a lot of investments being made at the school with the students in mind, but not all of them are as visible as this,” said Greg Freix, director of information systems. “[It’s] a very direct benefit to them from the money they’ve invested in the school.”

Business School students launch a business of their own

A car ride to class – that’s all it took for KU School of Business students Todd Chipman and Dennis Turner to decide to open their own venture. They noticed Lawrence didn’t have many “For Sale By Owner” signs. Seeing a need, the two began planning.

“Todd and I have both sold our own homes,” Turner says. “It’s a phenomenal idea to save yourself thousands of dollars, and it’s easy to do.” Drawing on their own experiences, Chipman and Turner launched Lawrence FSBO (For Sale By Owner).

Lawrence FSBO gives customers advice on how to sell their home without a real estate agent. Chipman and Turner offer seminars that cover preparing your home for sale, gaining exposure, understanding hidden costs and pre-qualifying buyers. The seminars also include sessions taught by a mortgage lender and an attorney.

Chipman and Turner assist customers in marketing their homes by selling custom yard signs that increase exposure to potential buyers. Through their Web site, www.lawrencefsbo.com, they also help customers advertise their homes with pictures and contact information. The Web site has been up and running since August and currently lists 17 houses.

Turner says in the first month their site had more than 11,000 hits. “There’s already a lot of traffic.” The two budding entrepreneurs, who already have expansion plans, say it’s only the beginning.

APM Fund tops the $1 million mark

The Applied Portfolio Management (APM) class started in 1993 with a donation of $230,000 by Kent McCarthy, b’80, g’81. Today the 12-year-old fund is flirting with the $1 million dollar mark. It actually surpassed the mark at the end of the summer, but because some of the earnings go towards an annual basketball scholarship, the fund again dipped slightly below $1 million.

“It was a big deal for me,” says Catherine Shenoy, finance professor who leads the class. “I wanted to call someone and say, ‘Guess what we did!’ I know some of the alums were excited, too, because they sent e-mails congratulating us.”

The APM class allows students to trade real stock using real money, giving them practical investment experience. Students make stock recommendations after careful research into the companies, teaching them to make buying and selling decisions based on sound investigation.

The portfolio’s gain is quite impressive. The fund reached an all-time low of $200,000 near the end of 2002. In less than three years, the portfolio has jumped nearly 400 percent about $800,000.

“Nothing is ever certain with the market, but we always expect to do well,” Shenoy said. “I always hope for the best and expect the worst.”

That’s a strategy that seems to be working.

Koch Commons Makeover

The Koch Commons renovation is complete. Funded by Wichita-based Koch Industries, the lounge features a new flat panel television, couches, tables and chairs. Located on the first floor of Summerfield Hall, the area is now a perfect place for students to unwind between classes. The remodel, which started in January, cost approximately $15,000 and was finished in the beginning of October.