On Jan. 24 and 25, Birmingham-Southern business majors had the opportunity to complete an intensive finance seminar through Wall Street Prep.

All 59 senior business majors participated in the two-day financial and valuation modeling seminar, which will be incorporated into the senior capstone projects they will complete this spring.

The Wall Street Prep course was sponsored by Robert Vann ’09, business administration alumnus and vice president of SHR Capital, an investment firm headquartered in Manhattan. Vann has more than 15 years of experience in private equity, investment banking, and business development.

In a recent meeting with Vann, B.A. Monaghan Professor of Finance Dr. Sara Robicheaux ’97 asked him what BSC could add to business curriculum that would benefit students after graduation.

“His answer was that our students need to be beyond proficient in Excel, and the best way for them to acquire these skills is through an intensive training seminar,” Robicheaux says. “After graduating from BSC, Robert had taken courses from Wall Street Prep, and he highly recommended them.”

Prior to attending the seminar, students completed a crash course in Excel, requiring about 15 hours of work. The following workshop days were comprised of a combined 16 hours of instruction from finance professionals. Students learned important principles in several topics: financial modeling best practices, forecasting the income statement, cash flow forecasting, and discounted cash flow modeling.

“As a liberal arts college, we strive to make all students knowledgeable on a variety of disciplines, and this even extends into their major,” Robicheaux says. “I am very excited to see that even the marketing- and management-focused students are learning this in-depth knowledge of finance.”

Wall Street Prep is a global leader in trainings for investment firms, private equity firms, and Fortune 500 companies, putting BSC students far ahead in what they can expect in their business careers.

“In today’s work force, students need to be very agile,” Robicheaux adds, “and by expanding their preparation, they will be at an advantage over students who graduate with a very narrowed, focused degree.”