By Dave Hendrick

 

Newswise — Students in the Darden Capital Management (DCM) program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business are now managing roughly $15 million in assets.

The increase in funds follows steady growth from existing assets under management and an additional allocation from the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees.

Peter Wilson (Class of 2018), CEO of DCM, said the additional allotment of funds serves as a vote of confidence from the board and will enable the continued expansion of the DCM program.

Darden Capital Management, which is entirely student-run and available as both a club and an independent study course, offers Darden students an unparalleled experiential learning opportunity in the field of investment management. Students actively manage $15 million across five funds, gaining hands-on experience in a world that rarely offers traditional internships and can be difficult for young professionals to access.

In addition to managing funds, DCM hosts events and participates in stock pitch competitions across the U.S.

First established in 1990 with a $250,000 allotment from the board of trustees, the program has a strong record of helping students land positions in the industry, and all five of the senior portfolio managers in the Class of 2017 were accepted into positions in asset management after graduation.

Wilson said the current Darden Capital Management leadership team, in which women hold 75 percent of the roles, has worked to make DCM open and relevant to students of all backgrounds and interests while continuing the outperformance of the funds under management, which routinely beat benchmarks.

“Our portfolio managers have worked hard at continuing the growth of DCM and we’re excited about putting next year’s class in an even better position to succeed,” said Wilson. “Darden Capital Management has had a tremendous impact on all of us, not only in our experience at Darden but also in preparation for life after graduation.”

 

About the University of Virginia Darden School of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business delivers the world’s best business education experience to prepare entrepreneurial, global and responsible leaders through its MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. Darden’s top-ranked faculty is renowned for teaching excellence and advances practical business knowledge through research. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.