One of DePauw’s most successful organizations, the DePauw Investment Group, achieved another milestone this fall. Thanks to the support of DePauw alumnus Randy Dippell, ‘91, the group was granted access to a technology platform for wealth management professionals called Riskalyze. Riskalyze is a financial technology company based in California that has partnered with several schools across the country to improve the tools that business programs have to offer for investment and portfolio analysis. Through the McDermond Center, the Investment Group was able to achieve access to this software because of the generosity of DePauw’s alumni network.
"The business-focused student groups that we sponsor at the McDermond Center thrive because of the close involvement of successful alumni with our current student leaders,” Steve Fouty, Director of the McDermond Center, said. “The Investment Group's utilization of Riskalyze is an example of this as Randy Dippell, worked closely with President Betsy Beggs and faculty advisor Dr. Jeff Gropp to bring this additional investment tool to the Investment Group's members."
The Investment Group also expressed their appreciation for Randy Dippell ’91, who acted as the liaison between Riskalyze and DePauw and helped the group reach the deal.
“Riskalyze is aimed at the future generation of investors to be more competitive in the real world. It will improve their decision making between investments by providing a deeper risk assessment on their investments. This software makes DePauw one of only a few liberal arts schools in the country with access to such a tool and I am glad I was able to play my part in giving back,” Dippell said.
Dr. Jeff Gropp, Director of the Management Fellows program, was a key figure in helping the Investment Group with adoption of the new platform. In a conversation with Dr. Gropp, he stressed the importance of using this new tool and explained how it will benefit the Investment Group.
“In managing $1+ million, the DePauw Investment Group has a fiduciary responsibility to the DePauw community that includes the next generation of students… In effect, this platform, coupled with our recent addition of S&P Capital IQ, expands our capacity to fulfill our responsibilities,” Gropp said.
Riskalyze not only improves the capabilities of one of the largest student groups on campus, it also highlights the efforts of the McDermond Center in approaching alumni to support students’ desires for business-ready experiences. The new software also proves the constant support of faculty and staff in enhancing skill-based performance alongside the liberal arts education.
Investment Group President Betsy Beggs shared her excitement about working with Riskalyze and was thankful to all parties that assisted the smooth transition in working with the new software platform.
“We are fortunate to have the support of mentors and alumni like Dr. Gropp and Randy who ensure that the future generation of Tigers is equipped for careers in the financial services industry. We’re looking forward to leveraging the capabilities of Riskalyze to continue our stewardship of our portfolio, and we are deeply grateful to alumni like Randy for supporting the DePauw Investment Group with their time and expertise,” Beggs said.
Written by Arham Azeem, '21