Live at 6 | Whitman Day

By Brendan Tierney – Syracuse, N.Y. (CitrusTV) – Friday was the 15th annual Whitman Day, which honors the gifts Martin J. Whitman has given to Syracuse University. Whitman graduated from SU in 1949 and went on to manage fortunes for multiple firms on wall street. The day featured alumni networking events and a keynote speaker designed to benefit current students.

Professor Fernando Diz says the Whitman name instantly increased the school’s profile. A large amount of funding and infrastructure development have followed over the past 15 years. He believes current students have greatly benefited from this investment and should take advantage of the opportunity to interact with and thank Whitman and other alumni during the event.

“Interact with them, get to know them and get to know the community,” Diz said. “The community that they belong to and that often times students don’t quite realize that they have. I think that is instrumental. Having Mr. Whitman to talk to doesn’t happen very often, and so, it’s a great opportunity for students.”

One of the Whitman School’s greatest assets is the Orange Value Fund, which celebrated its tenth anniversary on Friday. The Orange Value Fund allows students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to real life investment situations. Students research and manage all types of investments through the deep value approach that was popularized by Martin J. Whitman.

“It has definitely been a really fun event to be part of,” Greg Fliger, a senior analyst in the program, said. “This was exciting having it be the tenth anniversary, being able to see some of the previous alumni come back and really see what an important part the Orange Value Fund played for them in their careers. I’m excited to take that experience with me.”

The Orange Value Fund started with $1.1 million and has grown to $5.5 million thanks to the work of students like Fliger. That money belongs to Syracuse University and more than 100 private accounts.

Diz says this experience is very beneficial because students who participate in the program have a 100 percent job placement rate.