FMA_Magazine_2018_2019

FROM THE
FMA DESK
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
As we send another class of graduates into the field and celebrate our fifth year, I find myself spending
more time with FMA’s archived materials, especially those related to our first graduating Class of
2015, and thinking about similarities and differences between that period and now. The truth is, I
often get so focused on getting where we are going, that I don’t stop to absorb how far we have come.
The inaugural class, like each of the four that followed, played an integral part in identifying strategic
objectives, and then laying the building blocks to eventually achieve them. These are the milestones
that we highlight in the pages of this Annual. All FMA alumni who purposefully participated in our
growth should share in the celebration of what we’ve been able to accomplish in just 5 years. I reflect
on the spring of this, our 5th year, as a point of peak training and proactive early education. The pace
of programming intensified, highlighted by a new member curriculum that would be considered
rigorous by any evaluating body.
I often hear graduates, or even seniors express: “I wish I could go back and have that (additional
training) experience of the younger FMA members.” Our first year students did not have a designated
space; there were no alumni connections in top companies helping to prepare them. There was no
new member program, no leadership training, no financial modeling course, no financial summit,
and little available marketing. But today’s members nonetheless share some key characteristics with
the classes that have graduated before them: a fearless commitment to learning, a deep-seated sense
of intellectual curiosity, a determined push for self-improvement, and an impatience for results.
The benefits reaped by each year’s members have been undeniably sewn by the deliberate and
uncompromising efforts of those who have gone before them.
This year, FMA will continue to push for excellence – we still have work to do on the integration of a
solid financial leadership program that focuses on excellence in our five key areas: Industry Exposure,
Alumni Engagement, Technical/Academic Training, Career Preparedness, and Branding. As part of
this, FMA will continue to focus efforts on the establishment of a world-class investment, research,
and student collaboration area for the benefit of all HCOB finance students. We will also be focused
on extending FMA’s academic curriculum by adding practical application courses that are so critical
to the success of students in our field.
As I indicated above, emphasis on excellence and preparation is not new work for FMA - you see that
clearly in the trajectory and stewardship of our most established alumni. After five years, however;
this focus remains our most pressing and highest priority. Working to achieve a truly engaged and
prepared graduate not only deepens our members’ educational experience, it also offers a model of
pride for our alumni to deliberately stay involved and invested.
Finance Rocks!
FMA 2019 MAGAZINE 5