Finance Department holds awards banquet

On April 11, 2012, the Finance Department held their awards banquet to honor student academic achievements, and local business persons.

FMA Honor Society:
The Financial Management Association Honor Society initiated five undergraduate students and four graduate students as new members of the Honor Society.

Undergraduate students included: Cara Balasco, John Bartolotta, Paul Libassi, Nataliya Shtyrkalo and Kevin Spray.

Graduate students honored included: Saleh Aljabreen, Nicholas Frank, Plarent Karagjozi and Kevin Kavali

Individual Student Accomplishments:
Paul Libassi was presented with the Financial Executives Institute Award, honoring academic excellence and demonstrating leadership and career preparation activities.  Paul was nominated by members of the Finance Faculty.

Jonathan C. Sandlund received the Banda Prize, a cash award of $500 awarded to a graduate from the previous year with the highest cumulative Grade Point Average.

Outstanding Student Performance:
Four students were also recognized for their outstanding performance in four areas of finance. They were:

Investments – Andrew H. Norton
Financial Markets and Institutions – Paul L. Libassi
Corporate Financial Management – John M. Bartolotta
Personal Financial Planning – Brian R. Costello

Finance Advisory Board Scholarship Recipients:
Members of the Finance Advisory board were present to congratulate the seven recipients of the $1,500.00 Finance Advisory Board Scholarships. Recipients were:

Cara Balasco, Ashley Cook, Brian Costello, Alicia Roskwitalski, Kristen Sage, Jaime Welch and Timothy Zupancic

Professional Recognitions:
In addition, the FMA Honor Society recognizes two members of the community each year.

The Outstanding Financial Executive for 2012 was Douglas Robinson, CFP, Founder of Honour Wealth Management. Robinson has developed and applied management techniques that ensure efficient and effective operations, allowing financial professionals to have more time to spend with clients. Additionally, he has been an adjunct faculty member in the Finance Department since 1999, where he designed a senior capstone course for finance students to acquire CFP. Robinson is currently the Chair of the Department of Finance Advisory Board.

Recognized for his outstanding service to the United States Army and the Cleveland Heights High School Alumni Foundation, James Musengo, CFP, received the Professional Honor Society Award for 2012. A few of Musengo’s military awards include: a Meritorious Service Medal, five Army Commendation Medals, the NATO Service Ribbon and a Joint Expeditionary Force Ribbon. Along with being an Assistant Lecture for the Department of Finance, Musengo currently works for AIG VALIC, managing over $85 Million.