SMU Cox B.B.A. Students Demonstrate Academic Prowess in Two Different Ways

In high-profile, high-stakes competitions in April, SMU Cox students highlighted their analytical prowess at a national level. In doing so, they put into practice what they have learned in the classroom and demonstrated the benefit of experiential/firsthand learning. 

The Folsom Institute for Real Estate organized and hosted its first-ever national case competition bringing students from elite universities to campus. Folsom sent its own team of SMU Cox real estate undergraduates into competition, with that team emerging victorious.

Just days earlier, the nonprofit Boulevard Investment Group (BIG), managed 100% by SMU Cox undergraduates interested in finance and investment banking, organized and hosted its first-ever BIG Pitch Competition, drawing 90 teams from the nation’s most elite universities to SMU to compete for a prize pool of $20,000.

SMU Cox Students Victorious in Inaugural Competition Hosted by Folsom Institute

Students in the Cox School’s Folsom Institute for Real Estate clinched first place on April 17 at the first-ever SMU Cox Invitational Real Estate Challenge, besting students from seven other premier undergraduate programs from across the nation. SMU Cox Folsom hosted the competition at Old Parkland, creating a new national platform for top-tier commercial real estate undergraduates to compete. Dallas is one of the country's leading commercial real estate markets.

Thirty-eight students on teams representing eight major universities took part. The case competition challenged students to analyze and respond to a complex, custom-built real estate investment case authored by ACORE Capital and SMU Cox Clinical Professor of Real Estate Wally Boudry. Teams evaluated an investment opportunity from start to finish, producing strategies for asset acquisition, capital structuring, and tenanting considerations. After facing off against NYU Stern students in the final round, SMU Cox students emerged victorious with a team prize of $5,000. The second-place prize of $2,500 went to NYU Stern. Folsom Institute Board members and industry firms made the competition possible through their sponsorship.

BIG Pitch Competition Championship Round

The Boulevard Investment Group (BIG), an SMU student-run non-profit managing $1,200,00+ in assets, hosted the inaugural BIG Pitch Competition at the Cox School April 10-11. SMU Cox students organized and hosted the live competition themselves—without faculty help. While they opted not to send SMU team into this inaugural event, the BIG event organizers recruited student teams from the nation’s elite business schools to take part in a day-long pitch competition at the Cox School. Four teams made it to the afternoon finals and won cash prizes funded by BIG and BIG sponsors.

Final Winners:

• First Place — Team BlueMaroon / $OFRM Short (University of Chicago) — $10,000
• Second Place — Team Alpha Fund / $GTX Long (Cornell University) — $6,500
• Third Place — Team Dumpster Divers / $OLLI Short (Georgetown University) — $3,500
• Fourth Place — Williams Investment Society / $CSGP Long (Washington & Lee University) — $1,000

BIG student organizers also brought to campus two high profile keynote speakers: Drew McKnight, co-CEO of Fortress investment Group and Brandon Wier, BWCP founding partner and former Citadel portfolio manager.

About SMU Cox

The Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU Cox) is committed to influencing the way the world conducts business via prolific research that provokes innovation, change and global thought leadership. SMU Cox offers a full range of business education programs, including B.B.A., Full-Time MBA, Working Professional MBA (part-time, in-person and online) and Master of Science degree programs, as well as graduate certificate programs and Executive Education (programming tailored for C-suite leaders and management professionals). In 2020, the Cox School celebrated 100 years of business education at SMU and maintains an active alumni network globally. Accredited by the AACSB, SMU Cox consistently ranks among the world’s leading business schools. 

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