Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

The Tennessee Valley Authority announced last week that 10 of the university teams participating in the agency’s Investment Challenge Program (ICP) beat the S&P 500 Total Return Index for calendar year 2024.  The S&P 500 charged ahead in 2024 with the second straight year of 20 percent or better returns. The last time the S&P 500 achieved two or more straight years of 20 percent or more growth was during the late 1990s.

“The Investment Challenge Program is one of the largest and most successful student investment programs and has helped advance the careers of over 10,000 students by teaching quantitative, qualitative, and teamwork skills that are highly valued by today’s employers, and we are proud to partner with these universities,” said TVA Vice President, Treasurer, and Chief Risk Officer Brian Child. “Since its founding in 1998, the Investment Challenge Program continues to be an excellent opportunity for students to interact with working financial professionals and gain practical experience by managing real portfolios. 2024 was a banner year, and it’s inspiring to see our student investors repeatedly beat the S&P 500 average to achieve strong results.”

ICP is one of TVA’s premier workforce development initiatives that allows university student teams to actively manage stock portfolios under the guidance of faculty members and within investment guidelines established and monitored by TVA.

“We teach theory and practice in class, but there is no substitute for applying that to a real-world situation,” said Willis Hulings, Professor at Vanderbilt University. “Very few students have enough money to invest in the stock market, and this experience puts them in the seat of an active investor. I am proud of what our students have accomplished for Vanderbilt in this program.”

The top performing teams that beat the S&P 500 to earn awards are:

1. Alabama A&M University;
2. Austin Peay State University;
3. Christian Brothers University;
4. Mississippi State University;
5. Tennessee Tech University;
6. Tennessee State University;
7. University of Tennessee at Martin;
8. Union University;
9. Vanderbilt University; and
10. Western Carolina University.

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