When the Wasserman Trading Floor/Subotnick Financial Services Center (SFSC) pened in 2000 with the generous support of Stuart Subotnick (’62) and Bert W. ’54) and Sandra K. (’55) Wasserman, it was state of the art. With an LED ticker boards, it was an exciting instructional facility that integrated hands-on financial services practice into the business curriculum. Its technology was so advanced that two financial firms used the trading floor when they were displaced from their offices following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Sixteen years later, capital funding of $159,000 from Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer enabled much-needed upgrades, most of which focused on display technology. The SFSC now features energy-efficient LCD technologies that display graphical content in flexible, customizable, interactive formats. Since its inception, the SFSC has been a hub of cross-disciplinary experiential learning and a bridge to the world of finance. It features multiple real-time market data feeds and financial analysis tools, dozens of high-end operating workstations, and sophisticated technology capable of simulating a real-life trading environment. Earlier this year, the center was pivotal to the success of Baruch’s six-member Master of Financial Engineering student team, which logged many hours there preparing for the prestigious Rotman International Trading Competition, which they won, besting teams from 52 universities worldwide.
To celebrate the center’s reopening and to thank Borough President Brewer, the College hosted a ribbon-cutting event on September 15. Both Sandra Wasserman and Stuart Subotnick attended. In a Ticker article, Mr. Subotnick lauded the financial support that made the enhancements possible. “Seeing the government pay attention to one of the best institutions is positive for both them and the school. It is our job to make sure that the center keeps going and at a very high level.”
The SFSC hosts more than 200 class sessions, offers dozens of free workshops, and serves as an open lab to thousands of Baruch students every semester.
– Diane Harrigan