Dean Sundaram says about the success of Wealth Management
post-grads, “The philosophy I ascribe to is simple: Know,
Do, Be. The ‘know’ is simply the knowledge. We USFSP
have always been very good at providing the knowledge in
the classroom; whether it’s options, investments, bonds, or
other instruments; but how do you take that to the ‘doing’,
or the experiential part, that bridges the gap between theory
and practice? These students are now getting the exposure of
finding value for the stocks they handle, and they now know the
process and the different methods are used. The last part, the
‘being’, is the professional development. The students are given
the opportunity to present and defend these assumptions, and
the ability to articulate their decisions allows for growth. When
students graduate and join firms, they are ready to contribute
from day one. That’s how we differentiate our talent- providing
the knowledge, the technical skills, the ability to speak,
articulate and present while ensuring the ability to apply it all in
an effective manner.”
When it comes to how the program influences the economic
development of downtown St. Pete, Dean Sundaram says
the long-term goal is to attract the best corporations and the
smartest financial minds. He adds, “If these companies see
we have strong talent with a background in investments and
financial planning coming from USFSP, then the ability to
move the firm or to expand their existing operations here in
St. Petersburg would have a huge regional impact. Companies
enjoy having the opportunity to examine a person before they
hire so they can mitigate some of the hiring risks. Having a
program such as ours will allow them to have that. Having
large, local investing firms that are continuing to expand right
in our backyard, our goal is to help cater to that talent need, not
only in St. Pete but Tampa Bay as a region.”
When asked who gets credit for the success of the program,
Dean Sundaram says, “Credit goes to my team. Dr. Gary
Patterson leads the charge. Todd Shank is one of our faculty
members leading the Certified Financial Planning track. Wei
Guan will be assisting Gary in building the investment track.
Dr. Hujian Dong will be joining us in the fall as the Director of
the Wealth Management Center. The finance faculty is terrific.”
Dean Sundaram continues to be a tremendous asset to the
University of South Florida St. Petersburg, and we would like to
thank him for his contribution, and those of the USF System, to
the Tampa Bay Area.
To follow news and successes of the Wealth Management
program, connect with USFSP online at www.usfsp.edu, and on
Instagram @gousfsp.
To become a strategic partner with the Wealth Management
Center program at USFSP and to assist in the mentorship
program, please visit https://www.usfsp.edu/kate-tiedemanncollege
of-business/ and email Dean Sundaram directly.
28 March 2018 • FLocal Magazine
/www.usfsp.edu