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CBU Students Take Top Honors in TVA Investment Challenge, Outperforming the Market by Nearly 15%
In the TVA Investment Challenge, student teams like the one from CBU are tasked with managing a real-money portfolio—and their performance is measured against the S&P 500. If their investment strategies earn a higher return than the S&P 500 over the course of the year, they’re considered to have “outperformed the market.” That’s exactly what CBU did—by nearly 15%!
04/11/2025
 
 

Christian Brothers University (CBU) students have claimed first place in the highly competitive Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge Program (TVAICP), a real-world investing competition involving 27 universities across the TVA’s service territory.

Christian Brothers University earns top honors in TVA’s Investment Challenge Program. Congratulations to all 27 participating universities for their outstanding efforts and competitive spirit.

CBU’s student-managed portfolio delivered a total return of 39.76% in 2024, outperforming the S&P 500 benchmark by an impressive 14.74%—the most significant margin among all participating schools. The team’s standout performance earned CBU a $14,869 performance award, presented during the TVAICP Spring meeting in Nashville, where students also had the honor of presenting their winning portfolio strategy to attendees.

“It’s inspiring to see the students at Christian Brothers navigate a dynamic market to repeatedly achieve strong results,” said TVA’s Manager of Corporate Investments Ben Duby.  “More importantly, the ICP teaches more than investing.  It provides students the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills to work to prepare them for their professional careers.”

The TVAICP is one of the largest student-managed investment programs in the country. It allows finance students to oversee a real $500,000 portfolio under TVA guidelines and university faculty guidance. The challenge is to grow the portfolio and outperform the S&P 500—an index widely considered a key indicator of U.S. market performance and economic health. Outperforming this benchmark means a team has managed its investments better than the overall market, which is no small feat.

“This was an incredible real-world learning opportunity, and our students truly rose to the challenge,” said Dr. Bjoern Claassen, CBU’s Department Chair of Accounting, Finance, and Information Security & Analytics. 

Faculty advisors Dr. Huiyang Li and Dr. Claassen guided the students throughout the year, helping them develop an investment approach that combined rigorous research, data analysis, and risk management. 

“These students and their professors are to be commended,” said Dr. Pam Church, Dean of CBU’s School of Business. “This achievement serves as a testimony to the team members’ ability and hard work, Drs. Claassen and Li’s dedication, and our entire finance program’s excellence.”

For more information about the TVA Investment Challenge Program, visit the TVAICP website.

For more information on the School of Business, click here.

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