Applied corporate finance center celebrates expanded facilities

The Nicholas Center for Applied Corporate Finance (ACFIN) at the School of Business celebrated its new facilities in Grainger Hall on Sept. 30.

The expanded center provides the ACFIN Program with a new location that significantly enhances services to students, staff and associates.

The expansion of the ACFIN program into its new facilities was made possible by a $6.4 million gift from Albert “Ab” Nicholas, Milwaukee financier and UW–Madison Business School graduate.

“Ab Nicholas’s gift will enable us to deliver an unparalleled experience in applied corporate finance education,” says Dean Michael Knetter. “We are extremely pleased that he has chosen to endow this center.”

The new center includes a significantly expanded research and meeting area, high-speed information technology and communications infrastructure, and enhanced database capabilities that assist faculty, students and industry partners to thoroughly address challenging projects in the area of corporate finance.

The ACFIN program offers students a unique opportunity to gain practical experience working on corporate finance consulting engagements. It is the only program of its kind in the country. Students work in teams on real-world projects such as working-capital management, evaluation of funding sources, valuation, cost of capital, capital-expenditure decisions, acquisition analysis, and joint-venture and strategic alliances for consulting firms, investment banks, public corporations and private companies. Previous project sponsors include Medtronic, Qualcomm, Deutsche Bank Securities, 3M, Procter & Gamble and John Deere.

Wisconsin’s ACFIN program is the premier university-based center for the study and practice of corporate finance.

The Nicholas Center for Applied Corporate Finance is led by Center Director Cindie Horner and Academic Director Jim Seward.