Titan Capital Management Investment Center at Cal State Fullerton opened on April 26. (Photo courtesy of CSUF News Media Services)
By Larry Urish, contributing writer
Here’s an indication that Titan Capital Management, the rigorous student-investment program within Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics’ Finance Department, does more than create successful investment professionals: The program’s mantra, prominently displayed on a wall in TCM’s classroom, reads, “The Best Return Is Giving Back.”
Although financial achievement is important at Titan Capital Management, acting in a giving, team-oriented fashion remains paramount. The mantra underscores every TCM decision, and this character-first mindset has led to successful “returns” far beyond the financial realm. Now, with the addition of Titan Capital Management’s new Investment Research Center, TCM students have access to a resource that’s modeled after a real-world trading floor.
The name “Jeffrey S. Van Harte” is on the same wall displaying the mantra, and for good reason. A generous gift by Van Harte, a 1980 CSUF graduate, to the CSUF Philanthropic Foundation helped jump-start Titan Capital Management in 2013. Since then, the co-founder and co-chair of Jackson Square Partners has continued to give time, wealth and expertise to TCM, while giving to other CSUF programs.
Although “The Best Return Is Giving Back” isn’t his own thought, it speaks to what he and everyone running TCM value most in an investment professional. One element in particular is essential. “TCM students learn about the power of collaboration,” Van Harte said. “Instead of acting as individuals, they learn to contribute their talents to the team.”
Only top-notch students are accepted into Titan Capital Management. “We’re also looking to recruit students who have the highest level of character,” said Kelly Ko, finance lecturer and TCM Equity director. The 18 students currently in the program manage four portfolios, totaling $3.5 million: Equity, Fixed Income, Tactical and President’s Scholars (the latter supporting one scholarship for a CSUF President’s Scholar).
The idea of the new Investment Research Center began with a discussion between Van Harte and Anil Puri, former dean of the College of Business and Economics. “We talked about something related to the real-world financial markets,” Van Harte said. “Other universities have (resources) like this, but we didn’t — and Fullerton has the second-largest undergraduate business school in the nation.”
“We wanted a bigger facility for the students to work together, plus an attached conference room for separate meetings while students are working,” said Shane Kim, finance lecturer and TCM Fixed Income director.
“We’re trying to grow the program, and we needed a bigger space dedicated to that,” Ko said. “We’re also trying to attract companies to hire our students. If they’re going to come here to do interviews or see presentations, we need a professional space to do that.”
TCM’s Investment Research Center includes eight Bloomberg stations – state-of-the-art terminals used by the Wall Street pros that, Ko said, are the “gold standard in the industry” – plus four 75-inch monitors (three in the center’s main room and one in the conference room) and a digital scrolling ticker.
Floor-to-ceiling windows provide visibility that TCM had been lacking. The old research room was so anonymous,“I didn’t even know what TCM was until Professor Ko reached out to me,” said Kyrstin Huxtable, a TCM member and Business Honors student majoring in both accounting and finance. “The new center is a lot more visible to students. … I’ve learned more this year than any other year because of TCM.”
Feedback about the new center has been stellar. “Students love it,” Kim said. “People come by and look in as they pass. It’s been very well received.”
Ko agreed. “Students, faculty and others associated with the (Business) College think it’s an exceptional space that highlights the program,” he said. “I’ve received nothing but positive feedback.”
Also receiving positive feedback was Titan Capital Management’s impressive performance in this year’s local Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge. The annual competition includes teams from universities throughout the Los Angeles area that analyzed and reported on the same chosen company. On Feb. 16, not only did TCM win the 2024 competition, it did so for the fifth straight year. In addition, the second-place team was, incredibly, also from TCM.
Huxtable, a member of this year’s winning squad, was among the current and former TCM students who talked about the Investment Research Challenge and presented or discussed their award-winning work, at the center’s Grand Opening, which took place on April 26.
Rounding out the speakers was Van Harte. He announced a recurring matching program of $25,000, to help support TCM, and invited Grand Opening attendees to match his contribution. Van Harte also discussed his favorite mantra, “The Best Return Is Giving Back,” and how it remains a touchstone behind everything TCM does.
A few days before the event, Van Harte noted one of the many perks of being involved in Titan Capital Management: “It’s fun to be a part of a winning team.”
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