Though it is still months away, UD's School of Business Administration is getting very excited for its annual RISE (Redefining Investment Strategy Education) forum.

This year's forum, known as RISE VI, will take place March 30-April 1. With more than 1000 participants including top business professionals and students and professors from universities across the country, it is said to be the world's largest student investment strategy forum.

The forum is modeled after Switzerland's World Economic Forum. It is not like a typical academic forum in that there aren't just lectures or papers being handed out. Instead, it is a chance for students to ask presenters questions in their field or in any other topic concerning finance or the economy.

The plan for the event includes security analysis and portfolio-management workshops as well as an optional student-managed portfolio competition. Specialized breakout sessions and a career strategies forum will also be available.

In a press release, David Sauer, associate professor of finance and executive professor of the RISE forum, described how this year's forum is one of a kind because of the great number of highly credentialed keynote speakers scheduled to attend.

Among the noted speakers are Richard Bernstein, chief U.S. strategist and chief quantitative strategist for Merrill Lynch; William Dudley, chief U.S. economist for Goldman Sachs; Bob Froehlich, chair of the investor strategy committee of Deutsche Asset Management, Americas and vice chair of Scudder Investments; and Elaine Garzarelli, president of Garzarelli Research Inc.

Congressman Michael Oxley, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services; William Poole, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Jim Rogers, co-founder of the Quantum Fund and author; Diane Swonk, chief economist of Mesirow Financial; and Edward Yardeni, chief investment strategist of Oaks Associates ltd. will also be attending this year's forum.

Leigh Wabler, senior accounting major, attended last year's RISE forum and plans on attending RISE VI in March.

'The forum offers an educational experience outside of the classroom, by giving students a chance to apply the concepts and theories to real life situations,' Wabler said. 'Also, another good point about the forum is that it mixes students of all different levels and majors with local business professionals.'

According to Wabler, the forum is beneficial to business students because it helps to show how the business functions they have learned go hand-in-hand to create a working business.

'Students get a chance to step outside their learning realm and apply how the subject they are studying works within a business,' Wabler said. 'I remember solving problems that dealt with ethics and with organizational behavior.'

Last year the RISE forum and its noted speakers attracted students and faculty from 133 universities across the country including United States, Canada, Germany, Russia and China.

For more information on the RISE forum or its speakers, call (937) 229-1444 or email rise@udayton.edu.