The 16-student group, along with sponsor Dr. Glenn Rhyne, assistant professor of business, also placed fourth for this year’s challenge, missing third place by .002.

“Our students have worked hard and were dedicated to success,” Rhyne said. “Their performance in the TVA Investment Challenge is truly an outstanding achievement.”

In 2001, MUW won first place and a $15,000 prize for the best return on its investment portfolio. In 2002, the group won an award for having a return on the portfolio in 2001 that was greater than the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index, which serves as an indicator of how well the overall stock market is doing. This year they again received an award for beating the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index for the year 2002.

Other Mississippi universities, Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi, placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in this year’s challenge.

“We have consistently been one of the best performers and have always exceeded the Standard and Poor’s Index return,” Rhyne said. “A special point to recognize is that all of the other participants in this program have a finance major, master’s in finance or an MBA program with a focus on finance and accounting.

“At MUW, our students only have one course of corporate finance and an elective of financial markets. Our students deserve special praise and recognition because they are largely competing with graduate students in finance or undergraduate students with majors in finance. This makes their achievements even more outstanding.”

Developed by TVA, this program, which began in 2000, allows 20 universities in the TVA service area to invest $400,000 provided by TVA from its trust fund for the retirement of the company’s nuclear power plants. Using real money that must be returned to TVA, each university serves as a portfolio manager of the fund.

Rhyne said that he would like to see businesses in the community partner with MUW’s students and faculty to provide financial and educational services that benefit the region and state. Some of the TVA universities told of local businesses providing funds for the students to invest and allowing the school to retain the earnings, he said.