Structuring an Endowment-Allocated Student Managed Fund Course

This study documents the creation, structure, and performance of a Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) carved out of a Jesuit Liberal Arts University's endowment funds. With more Universities looking to incorporate SMIFs into their curriculum, or to provide an experiential learning opportunity to their students, this paper details what we have learned from our experience with the Sellinger Applied Portfolio fund. This paper will be helpful to those looking to start a SMIF, and details the risks involved with the same. To mitigate these risks, we offer a structure that has worked for us, and details on the oversight process followed by the University. This fund is a part of the University endowment, so Universities that are looking to follow this path will find our paper helpful. We also describe in detail how to set this up as a for-credit class, and part of the curriculum. The choice of financial datasets to aid in research, challenges faced by the students, and faculty are also documented. A properly structured SMIF is a boon to a University and can maximize the student experience, while also keeping faculty, the administration, trustees, and alumni engaged. The intent of this paper is to serve as a guide and help move the process along