Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner (ELP)

Published October 22, 2019
By Peter Ammermann

The California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) has officially been by Bloomberg, LP, as a Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner (ELP). To become a part of the ELP program, a university must have at least three Bloomberg terminals on campus, they must integrate the use of the Bloomberg terminals into their curriculum, and they must have at least 100 students every year who complete the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) test and obtain their BMC certificates.

This program enables students to gain hands-on experience with the investment markets through access to real-time investment data, analytical tools, and trading simulations and will help CSULB’s students to be much better prepared for the real world of investment analysis and management. Because Bloomberg is such a powerful tool in the finance industry, proficiency with the use of the Bloomberg terminals can give students an advantage in their internship and career searches, as well as, in the intermediate-term, helping CSULB’s Beach Investment Group (BIG) students to conduct their portfolio analysis and help them to make their investment decisions.

But while the system is especially geared toward finance students, a wide variety of business- and economic-related information can be accessed through the Bloomberg system, and familiarity with Bloomberg can benefit all business and economics students. Because of this, the Bloomberg terminals are situated in the COB open-access computer lab so that all students will have easy access to them.

This opportunity is available to CSULB through the generosity of the 49er Shops, who have made an ongoing commitment to provide funding for one of the three required terminals (and for whom the BIG students manage one of their portfolios), as well as alumna Kathleen Hansen (BA, 1975; MBA, 1982), who has long been supportive of our university in a variety of roles. The COB thanks both of these generous donors for their support which has allowed us to take the education of our students to the next level!