Mayor Grant Smith and Massey Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas check out the facilities in the new Investment Room.
Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith had a busy day ribbon-cutting yesterday when he opened two new student spaces at Massey University’s Manawatū campus.
The first was the Investment Room, the high-tech home of all things financial, including Bloomberg terminals, workstations running Morningstar software and large screens with rolling CNBC news coverage and Rise financial markets displays.
The Investment Room is the second of its kind at Massey. New Zealand’s first student investment room was opened at the University’s Auckland campus in 2015.
Head of the Massey Business School Professor Stephen Kelly says the facility provides students with an innovative learning environment, especially for those who are interested in fund management.
“Students can get experience working with the tools and data used by industry, as well as achieving their Bloomberg Market Concepts certification while still at university,” he says. “But it’s about a lot more than just learning to trade stocks.
“The Investment Room is there to support students with career and business advice and aims to get them thinking about investing for their long-term future.
“It’s also about social connection – the room is home to the Student Investment Club, and students are already having a lot of fun participating in stock market challenges and other activities.”
The Mayor and Vice-Chancellor cut the ribbon at the official opening of the Student Enterprise Studio.
Opportunities for enterprise
After opening the Investment Room, the Mayor strolled around the corner to the new Manawatū campus Student Enterprise Studio, which is part of a collective across the University’s three campuses.
The innovative and colourful space is a place for connecting students and staff with opportunities for enterprise on campus and in the community.
Regular events are already being held in the studio, including those run by the ecentre, Massey University’s hosted entrepreneurship and innovation centre.
Massey University Dean Enterprise Dr Gavin Clark says the studio is an important part of Massey’s enterprise ecosystem.
“We have a quote on the wall that says, ‘Imagine a world where the spirit of entrepreneurship is embedded into all disciplines and professions.’ The idea is you don’t have to be a business student to have an enterprise mindset,” he says.
“Universities have a role to play in tackling social challenges and contributing to intergenerational and sustainable development. The Student Enterprise Studio is about connecting students to a wider enterprise ecosystem so they can find collaborators to develop their ideas, including through the establishment of startup companies.”