Furman students get real-world lessons in managing millions

Four Furman University students recently had the rare chance to be part of the university’s $43 million bond negotiations.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Susan Maddux and her team were heading to the Atlanta offices of financial services firm Raymond James – the university underwriter – to refinance two existing bonds on July 29. Maddux wanted to give students a peek behind the curtain at how their university’s finances work, connecting their classroom lessons with real-world examples.

Four Furman University students joined the university’s finance team on a trip to Atlanta July 29 to sit in on a $43 million bond deal.

Chatham Bonner ’26, Tate Denham ’26, Nik Khatskevich ’27 and Dipak Malla ’26 dropped everything during their summer breaks to join in this rare opportunity. They came eager and ready to learn, taking extensive notes even when there wasn’t a test to study for, Maddux said.

“They understood more about capital markets than I did at their age,” she said.

The staff at Raymond James were welcoming hosts, inviting students onto their trading floor to discuss debt financing, interest rates and investor behaviors, Maddux said. Furman’s financial advisor, PFM, also joined for the event and interacted with students.  The students attended interviews while investors asked Maddux questions to gauge if Furman’s bonds were right for them.

“It’s rare for someone outside of the financial representatives involved to observe this process firsthand,” said Denham, an economics major from Tampa, Florida. “Being part of an event that directly impacts our university community made it especially meaningful.”

For Bonner, a business administration major from Charleston, South Carolina, the real-world applications of these finance principles were much more exciting than she ever imagined. After the deal was done, the students and Furman staff joined Raymond James representatives for dinner. The aspiring economists and financiers peppered the Raymond James staff with questions about financial markets and career paths.

Furman University students pose for a photo with staff from Raymond James and part of the university’s finance team. From left, front row: Chatham Bonner ’26, Executive Assistant Amy Akulli and Trey Casey. From left, back row: Jock Wright, Vice President for Finance and Administration Susan Maddux, Dipak Malla ’26, Tate Denham ’26, Nik Khatskevich ’27, Jeremy Bass, Duncan Gotfredson, Dawn Durham and Jennifer McHan.

“It was encouraging to see how down-to-earth and approachable they were. They made us feel like part of the team, even as undergraduates,” said Malla, a business administration major from the Netherlands. Malla had previously met some of the Raymond James staff while at the 2023 Summer Business and Innovation Bootcamp hosted by Furman’s Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

It was a team effort, said Khatskevich, a business administration major from Belarus. “Besides all the technical expertise, I realized how important the collaborative nature of the work is. Communication and teamwork are keys to success,” he said.

Maddux and her team reached out to students through Sandra Roberson, professor and chair of business and accounting, and associate professor of finance Francis Kim. Beyond its insights into real-world debt financing and quantitative analysis, Kim said this trip helped students build connections in the industry and hone their interviewing and conversational skills, preparing them for future internships and careers.

“This was undoubtedly one of the most invaluable experiences of my student career,” Bonner said. “In addition to walking away with excitement for all that I witnessed, I gained exposure to something much more extensive than what most students typically see in college.”