May 10, 2021 Multidisciplinary Financial Engineering Hub Launched at Baruch Dear Baruch Community, I am thrilled to announce the launch of the Financial Engineering Hub at Baruch College—a collaboration between the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and the Zicklin School of Business. This interdisciplinary collaboration will build on our world-renowned Master of Financial Engineering (MFE) program, draw on the expertise of our faculty in both schools, and grow to include new degree offerings and create a Center for Financial Engineering for corporate engagement and partnership. Baruch at the Vanguard of Financial Engineering Our MFE program embodies the best that Baruch has to offer—grounded in rigorous academics, leveraging world class talents and resources of New York City, while providing access to diverse students from all over the world. The program offers real-world training in Baruch’s state-of-the-art Wasserman Trading Floor. Faculty mentors work closely with students to train for—and succeed in—trading and financial competitions around the world. Among the outstanding wins, Baruch teams have placed first in the Rotman International Trading Competition in 2021, 2020, 2017, 2016, and 2012 and in the International Association of Financial Engineers competition in 2020, 2017, 2016, and 2015. With program renown—it is ranked #1 in the U.S. in the 2021 QuantNet Ranking of MFE Programs and #2 worldwide in the 2021 Risk Quant Finance Master’s Programs Ranking—and individualized career placement, Baruch’s MFE graduates are highly sought after on the job market, with more than 90 percent of all graduates currently employed in the financial industry. Looking forward, financial engineering will continue to expand and become more integral in global finance. Every shock to the market—from the dot-com crash in the 1990s, to the stock market collapse in 2008, and the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 and beyond—has pushed finance to adopt more “quant” methods, with algorithms that incorporate science, mathematics, and data-driven objectivity. Global Reach and More Benefits for Students Already under development, the Financial Engineering Hub will extend our expertise worldwide with a range of programs and resources that will roll out in the coming months and years. In the short term, co-leads for the Hub and a steering committee comprising faculty from the Weissman and Zicklin Schools will be named. Monitoring the evolution of this rapidly changing field, the steering committee will make recommendations for curriculum refinement and envision and facilitate the development of new offerings, such as dual-degree, executive, and nondegree programs. In the fall, the forthcoming public-facing Center for Financial Engineering, which will be based in Zicklin, will offer partnership and networking opportunities and will be assisted by an advisory council comprising industry leaders and experts. Weissman’s renowned academic Financial Engineering program will continue to evolve and grow with the advances of the field, offering students the finest education in the discipline. The Hub—in bringing together these entities—presents Baruch students, alumni, and industry professionals with comprehensive opportunities for intellectual and professional advancement and engagement throughout their careers. I look forward to sharing program developments and successes of the Financial Engineering Hub in the coming months. Sincerely, S. David Wu President, Baruch College |