Bryant competes in College Fed Challenge

A team of top economics students will participate today in the regionals of the Federal Reserve-sponsored event.

Jim Cramer, the eccentric host of CNBC’s “Mad Money” television show might have some competition from a group of enterprising Bryant students. The University’s best economics students will present their variation of his nightly program as part of the regional round of the College Fed Challenge (CFC), which will be hosted today by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

The team is made up of Kristen Collins ’09 (Huntington Station, NY) as “Bailey Outz,” Daniel Hackenson ’10 (Webster, MA) as “Freddie MacKenzie,” Gergely Nemeth ’09 (Lancaster, MA) as “Rob Depepil,” and Sahana Zutshi ’09 (New Milford, CT) as “Goldie Sacks.” They were selected based on their knowledge of the economy, monetary policy, and the Fed, as well as their public speaking skills.

Through their presentation, the team will discuss current economic and financial conditions and provide recommendations about whether the Fed should increase, decrease, or take no action on the federal funds rate at the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

(L-R) Kristen Collins ’09 (Huntington Station, NY), Gergely Nemeth ’09 (Lancaster, MA), Daniel Hackenson ’10 (Webster, MA), Sahana Zutshi ’09 (New Milford, CT).

Bryant is one of 16 teams to compete in the Boston regional. Other schools include: Bentley, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Clark, Dartmouth, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Middlebury College, Northeastern, Salem State, Southern Connecticut State, Tufts, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Vermont, and Western New England College. The winners of each of the regional competitions in Boston, Chicago, New York, and Richmond will advance to the nationals in Washington, D.C., next month.

In 2006, Bryant was the first runner-up in the regionals.

Learning by doing

Ramesh Mohan, assistant professor of economics, selected the Bryant team and will accompany them to Boston. He says participating in the CFC gives students the opportunity to apply classroom concepts to an actual project and enhances their understanding of the Fed.

“The competition will not only broaden their knowledge but also help them in the job market after graduation,” he says.

Collins, who is returning for her second appearance in the CFC, says this experiential learning is a hallmark of the Bryant experience.

“Opportunities like the Fed Challenge are what allow Bryant to distinguish itself from other schools,” says Collins, who plans to pursue a career in marketing and would one day would like to be a magazine publisher. “They allow us to apply the knowledge we gained to real situations.”

Ramesh Mohan, assistant professor of economics

Zutshi, who is also taking part in the program for the second time, says she hopes her involvement helps differentiate her to employers after graduating in December.

A first-time participant in the program, Hackenson says the team has been preparing for the competition since September by researching economic indicators and statistics on the current state of the economy.

“An opportunity like this, where we take what we have studied and learned in the classroom and are asked to apply it to current, real-time issues, is such a huge part of the Bryant experience,” says Hackenson. After graduation, he hopes to continue his education as part of a company’s financial leadership development program before pursuing his goal to teach at the college level.

“These hands-on opportunities made available by Bryant are so valuable in expanding our knowledge,” he says.