WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., – December 7, 2023 – The WesBanco Investment Club at West Liberty University was established in 2020 with a commitment from WesBanco Bank to provide $25,000 in funding over five years. The purpose of the Investment Club is to teach students about financial markets and wealth building through the purchase and sale of stocks. With WesBanco’s funding, WLU students can buy and sell stocks with “real money” rather than working with a stock market simulator.
Professor Michael Jesse is the faculty advisor to the Investment Club. He explained, “The stock ideas come from the students. After a proposed stock is researched, club members vote on whether it should be purchased. At weekly meetings, the performance of each stock in the Club’s portfolio is reviewed and students discuss current events and economic trends and their potential impact on their stock holdings. Depending on performance and anticipated trends, a vote may be taken to sell all or part of the position.”
As the income generated by the Investment Club grows, the fund will one day be used to provide scholarships to worthy students in the Gary E. West College of Business.
In addition to funding the Investment Club, WesBanco is the investment advisor for the WLU Foundation. The connection between the bank, the WLU Foundation, and the University benefits all parties.
Scott Love, WesBanco’s Executive Vice President for Wealth Management, noted, “WesBanco deeply appreciates the strategic partnership with West Liberty University, both at the Foundation and academic level. We are proud to employ many West Liberty University graduates who are critical to our organization’s success. WesBanco is honored to help educate the next generation in preparation for a long and successful career that begins at West Liberty University.”
At a recent meeting of the Investment Club, David Klick, WesBanco Market President for the Upper Ohio Valley and WLU alumnus, talked with students about careers in banking, current banking and market trends, WesBanco’s operations in Wheeling and its growing footprint in the eastern United States.
The WesBanco Investment Club Officers are President Cole Saseen, a senior from Wheeling, W.Va., majoring in Finance Planning with a Math minor; Vice-President Chase Ward, a junior Political Science Major from Martins Ferry, OH; Treasurer Bryce Wilcox, a junior Finance Planning Major from Sistersville, W.Va.; and Secretary Haden Derrow, a junior Finance Planning Major from Moundsville, W.Va.
The West Liberty University Foundation supports the University through the cultivation, investment, and stewardship of private funds. For more information, please contact Executive Director Betsy Delk at betsy.delk@westliberty.edu or 304-336-8847.
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest public university, and it offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and 12 graduate programs, both online and on campus. Learn more at westliberty.edu.
