The Levin/UB Program
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The Levin Institute offered its first "for credit" graduate courses in spring 2005. The students from SUNY Buffalo MBA and Law programs graduated on May 1st. This semester-long, 12 credit equivalent academic experience focuses on International Finance and Banking. The educational experience combines traditional classroom coursework with team-based learning through highly interactive projects with relevant corporate and not-for-profit organizations in the New York City area. Graduate credits are awarded by the students' respective home institutions. At present, this unique educational collaboration is providing University at Buffalo law and MBA students with a new gateway to New York City's international financial markets and highly competitive financial-sector job market. The UB/Levin program is the first SUNY graduate program offered by the Levin Institute. The 12-credit, semester-long program is designed to introduce students to the challenges of managing financial transactions and capital flows across borders, business cultures and multiple regulatory systems. Courses are taught by well-known UB law and management faculty, as well as other faculty from leading law and business schools. High-level alumni from the two UB schools frequently serve |
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as guest speakers and the students are assigned hands-on projects working with executives from M&T Bank, Credit Suisse, UBS, the international law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP and CLSA, a Hong Kong-based investment bank. “This new collaboration with the Levin Institute gives us the opportunity to expose our students to New York City’s unique financial institutions and allows them to learn from top professionals in international finance,” says Nils Olsen, dean of the UB Law School. “It is our first extended effort to teach courses in the New York City area and offers not only significant academic advantages for our students but also enhanced career placement for them as well.” The goal of the program, according to John Thomas, dean of the UB School of Management, is to help the students develop knowledge, skills and contacts needed to break into the very competitive world of investment banking and international finance. “The program is providing our students with invaluable access to the top companies in the financial sector,” he says. “If students are interested in careers in international finance, it’s critical they be in New York City where the major players are.” Acceptance into the program is competitive. Experiential learning and cross-discipline team collaboration are key components of the program, according to UB Law School professor Philip Halpern, UB’s on-site administrator in New York City. “Integration is a very important part of the program because it dovetails with the real world, where lawyers and business executives often work together to solve a problem or negotiate a transaction,” Halpern says. “There are separate legal and business issues, but they are linked. The students’ degrees may be different, but they work together very well.” Third-year law student Jesse George of Utica, N.Y., for example, wants to pursue a career in international law in New York City or overseas after graduation in May. The UB/Levin program, George says, is helping him “meet people and make connections” he would not have made in Buffalo. “If you’re going to a professional school to study finance, ideally you’d like to get some experience in the financial center of the world,” he explains. “This program was a natural choice for me.” George’s team of law, MBA and JD/MBA students is doing a project this semester with global financial services provider Credit Suisse, examining international business opportunities and challenges facing a major client of the firm. Meanwhile, second-year MBA student Erik Zeppuhar of Pittsburgh and his teammates are working under the guidance of an executive from UBS, a global financial services firm. They’re examining legal and business issues raised by proposed SEC regulations requiring unbundling the client commissions UBS receives for research and execution of trades. UBS’s objective is to conform its business to the regulations and develop strategies for gaining new business in the new regulatory environment. “The experience definitely is better preparing me for a career in finance,” Zeppuhar says. “Learning about market regulations and various international topics from people actually in the industry is something I was not exposed to before I came here. “Even if I don’t end up working in the investment banking industry, the knowledge gained on these topics is applicable to other areas of business.” The UB/Levin program fits well with the mission of the Levin Institute, according to institute president Garrick Utley, who says the institute also is exploring similar internationally focused graduate programs in collaboration with other SUNY institutions. “The Levin Institute can serve as SUNY’s platform into the workings of business and international affairs in one of the world’s famous global cities,” Utley says. “Our approach is a response to some of the challenges facing traditional law and management schools today as they seek to internationalize while at the same time making their curriculum more relevant to potential employers.” Based on this initial experience, The Levin Institute will offer such "for-credit" learning experiences on a systematic basis; topics/content will be developed in conjunction with each of the SUNY campuses. It is envisioned that similar "semester in New York" programs will be orchestrated with non-SUNY colleges and universities inside and outside the United States on a case-by-case basis. | ||