Michigan Finance Scholars share program model at global conference

A Central Michigan University faculty-student team brought the Michigan Finance Scholars model to a new audience this summer, sharing how the program connects academic finance with professional experience.

Claudine Salgado and Brad Taylor, faculty members in CMU’s Department of Finance and Law, joined Michigan Finance Scholars student Luke West at the 2026 AAA Global Connect, held Aug. 1-5 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Their submission was selected for Faculty-Student Collaborations in Accounting, known as FASTCA-26. The team presented “Michigan Finance Scholars Program: Program Structure and Outcomes” during a concurrent session Aug. 5.

Although Michigan Finance Scholars is housed within the Department of Finance and Law, its focus on faculty-student collaboration made the program a natural fit for an accounting education conference. MFS is open to students across CMU and particularly serves those studying finance and accounting.

“FASTCA was a valuable setting because it brought together accounting educators who are actively thinking about how to close the gap between classroom instruction and professional practice, which is exactly where MFS operates,” Salgado said. “One faculty member asked how we manage teaching alongside all the program’s activities. It is demanding work, but we share leadership with a group of committed students who are invested in the program’s development, including the co-chairs of our investment funds and the co-presidents of the Wall Street Journal Club.”

Established in 2017, Michigan Finance Scholars is a co-curricular program designed to help students connect what they learn in class with the expectations of the financial services industry. More than 200 students have participated in its activities since the program began.

MFS is organized around six pillars: student-managed investment funds, the Wall Street Journal Club, professional certification preparation, academic competitions, experiential travel and individualized mentoring.

Students manage real investment portfolios under faculty supervision and meet regularly with professionals through the Wall Street Journal Club. They also prepare for industry certifications, represent CMU in regional and national competitions, and visit corporations in major financial markets.

During their presentation, Salgado, Taylor and West shared how those activities work together to support students’ professional development. They also highlighted results from the 2025-26 academic year, including 26 students who completed finance internships before graduation and 35 who had secured full-time offers by graduation.

West’s participation gave conference attendees an opportunity to hear directly from a student who has experienced the program. It also allowed him to represent CMU in a professional setting alongside faculty members.

“Getting to show students from other schools what we've built at CMU was a great experience,” said West. “Their questions and feedback on our program gave us a lot to think about. I'm genuinely passionate about this program, so presenting alongside the faculty who've supported us every step of the way made it even better."

The trip reflected the same experiential approach the team traveled to Las Vegas to discuss. By including a student in the presentation, Salgado and Taylor demonstrated how faculty involvement can help students move beyond classroom learning and participate as contributors in professional conversations.

The team’s appearance at AAA Global Connect also introduced Michigan Finance Scholars to educators interested in developing meaningful faculty-student experiences at their own institutions.

“Presenting at FASTCA reinforced for me how much of MFS’s value comes from treating students as real partners in the program, not just participants,” Salgado said. “It was also a meaningful opportunity to share what we’ve built at CMU with a national audience and hear how it resonates outside our institution. Having Luke in the room to share how the program shaped his college journey made that connection even stronger.”