“Our graduates are entering the workforce with practical skills, strong internship experience, and an expansive alumni network. Their time in the Financial Management Association has prepared them to provide value in their respective industries from the first day they step off campus.”                                                                                                                                                                                                          — Tracy Richard, Director of Harbert College's Integrated Financial Leadership Program

The Harbert College is committed to providing students with relevant, forward-looking, and engaging curricula, instruction, and high-impact experiential learning opportunities.

Farewell, Magnolia Avenue … Hello, Wall Street!

The Auburn Financial Management Association -- an exclusive student honor society in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business – continues to place dozens of graduates into some of the nation’s top investment banking firms – including Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo Securities, SunTrust Robinson Humphries, and Merrill Lynch.

Why do Auburn FMA graduates stand out? It all goes back to the Auburn Creed. Work. Hard work.

“Our graduates are entering the workforce with practical skills, strong internship experience, and an expansive alumni network,” said Tracy Richard, Director of Harbert College’s Integrated Financial Leadership Program and lecturer in the college's Department of Finance. “Their time in the Financial Management Association has prepared them to provide value in their respective industries from the first day they step off campus.”

In an effort to prepare students for their own professional futures, FMA incorporates practical application and ancillary training for its 60 - 80 members. The rigor of the program has shown dividends since its inception in 2014. FMA graduates earned an average annual starting compensation of $95,600 and are placing at top institutions: Goldman Sachs, the top investment bank in the world; Point72, a top-three hedge fund in the world; and Evercore and Moelis & Co., both leading strategic advisory firms, to name a few.

In the classroom, FMA members have the opportunity to get first-hand career advice from industry professionals, meet with executives from a variety of firms and learn how these professionals turned failures into career successes. They are also privy to career coaching, resume guidance and mock interviews. No wonder Auburn FMA has had a 100 percent placement rate for our graduates and a 100 percent placement rate for junior interns.

“I joined this organization without really understanding the impact it would have on my time here at Auburn,” said Emily Mills, a senior in Finance who was named Alabama Association of Colleges and Employers Intern Student of the Year after working as an analyst at ExxonMobil. “I am so grateful for everything FMA provided me. I have been surrounded by the brightest students in finance, encouraged and pushed to apply for everything that comes my way, and network with alumni. FMA has been one of my favorite parts of being a business student.”

FMA President Price Delk, a senior in Mechanical Engineering and Finance, recently interned at Goldman Sachs in New York City. “This organization not only guided me to find a career path I’m passionate about, but pushed me to be a leader in the industry,” he said. “Before FMA, these jobs (investment banking) were reserved for Ivy League graduates. Thanks to FMA, not anymore.”
Knowing that her students can stand toe-to-toe with the Ivy Leaguers is a point of pride for Tracy Richard.

“What I hear from recruiters in New York is that when you take a student from Auburn and offer them a position on Wall Street, the differentiator is gratitude,” she said. “Auburn grads realize that it took hard work to get there and they want their target school peers to know they deserve the spot. Oftentimes, graduates from elite investment banking/asset management schools just expect that’s where they will end up.”

Jimmy Brewster, a senior in Finance and former FMA President, credits FMA for helping him land a job at Evercore in New York City, where he will begin work as an investment banking analyst next spring.

“Auburn FMA has been the most impactful contributor to my college experience,” said the Atlanta native. “The people and structure of the program guided me every step of the way in my personal and professional development. Tracy Richard is the cornerstone of the group and I am a personal witness that she dedicates her life to this program and these students. I recommend this program to every underclassman I meet because I have never seen an organization on campus that creates as much of a tangible impact on students as this one.”

To be considered for FMA, students who apply must maintain a 3.5 GPA, and be at least a second-semester freshman. “Auburn FMA focuses on taking motivated students of all technical majors who want to consider a career in finance,” added Richard. “Our mission is to empower students to achieve their goals even if they happen to be outside of the traditional Auburn graduate's path.”

For more information about Auburn FMA, please email richate@auburn.edu or visit here.