The EDS Financial Trading and Technology Center is a
state-of-the-art trading, research, and teaching facility in the McCombs
School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. The goal of the Center
is to help students, faculty, and executives better understand the growing flow of
financial data that affects markets as well as to enable them to participate in the
development of new applications of information technology to finance. The Center also
serves as a laboratory for the creation of innovative teaching techniques applied to all
levels of education using the cutting-edge audio-visual and distance learning systems that
are integrated into the three-room, 3,000 square-foot complex.
EDS,
numerous corporate partners, and Center Trustees from the financial industry joined together to
support a unique educational facility not found on other university campuses.
Under the leadership of
Dr. George W. Gau,
founding director (inception to January 2000) and Dean of the McCombs
School of Business, faculty and students have access to real-time data feeds from leading providers of financial
information: Bloomberg, Bridge/Telerate, and Reuters.
These data flows can be used by undergraduate and graduate students in a wide variety of
classes ranging from finance classes on
portfolio management to information impact management courses on the financial applications of information technology. The
Center is similar to a flight simulator, enabling instructors to create simulated trading
exercises that help students prepare for "flying", the actual analysis and
trading of securities in financial and commodity markets. Further, it surpasses simulation in having a group of
students actually manage a real $13 million investment fund, The MBA Investment Fund,
L.L.C., in the Center's Trading Room. The Center also supports teaching and research
in areas such as advanced financial modeling and financial risk management.
Through its technologically sophisticated classroom, faculty can adapt their pedagogy to the latest
educational tools including an interactive touch screen blackboard (SMART Board) and a
high-resolution video projector. There is truly a revolution underway in the application
of technology to the classroom and the Center serves as a testbed for the implementation
of new technology at all levels of education. The Center can originate and receive
long distance learning and, with its video teleconferencing
capability and its access to satellite up and downlinks, the Center dramatically reduces
the distance between Austin and New York, as well as locations as diverse as Sao Paulo,
London, and Tokyo in the sending and receiving of educational services.
The Center also supports the K-12
educational system of the State of Texas and the diversity outreach programs of The
University of Texas. It serves as a University resource to help in the training of primary
and secondary teachers across Texas in the application of educational technology as well
as assisting the University's Institute for Technology and Learning (ITAL). The Center
functions as a laboratory for the testing of the applications of new technology to all
levels of education.
Technology resources and technical support for
the Center for Energy Finance Education and Research (1998) and the Center
for Real Estate Finance (1999) are provided by the EDS Financial Trading
and Technology Center.
The lead sponsor of the Center is
EDS,
Electronic Data Systems. EDS not only contributed funds to cover a substantial portion of
the construction costs of the Center, but also provided the personnel and in-kind support
to integrate the widely varying data sources and technologies of the Center. Joining EDS
as supporters of the Center are forty corporate partners
who donated their equipment and services. Completing the funding are Center Trustees, a group of leading investment banking and
financial service firms who are supporting the Center financially. A total of over $6
million in funding and equipment was contributed to the creation of the EDS Financial
Trading and Technology Center. Since the summer of 1996, the Center has grown to be valued
at over $8 million.
Under the leadership of
Dr. George W. Gau,
founding director (inception to January 2000) and Dean of the McCombs
School of Business, faculty and students have access to real-time data feeds from leading providers of financial
information: Bloomberg, Bridge/Telerate, and Reuters.
These data flows can be used by undergraduate and graduate students in a wide variety of
classes ranging from finance classes on
portfolio management to information impact management courses on the financial applications of information technology. The
Center is similar to a flight simulator, enabling instructors to create simulated trading
exercises that help students prepare for "flying", the actual analysis and
trading of securities in financial and 
commodity markets. Further, it surpasses simulation in having a group of
students actually manage a real $13 million investment fund, The MBA Investment Fund,
L.L.C., in the Center's Trading Room. The Center also supports teaching and research
in areas such as advanced financial modeling and financial risk management. 
The lead sponsor of the Center is
EDS,
Electronic Data Systems. EDS not only contributed funds to cover a substantial portion of
the construction costs of the Center, but also provided the personnel and in-kind support
to integrate the widely varying data sources and technologies of the Center. Joining EDS
as supporters of the Center are forty corporate partners
who donated their equipment and services. Completing the funding are Center Trustees, a group of leading investment banking and
financial service firms who are supporting the Center financially. A total of over $6
million in funding and equipment was contributed to the creation of the EDS Financial
Trading and Technology Center. Since the summer of 1996, the Center has grown to be valued
at over $8 million.