In the blink of an eye, more than 1,000 news sources deliver global content in about 30 languages from more than 2,300 journalists, all while 45,000 companies’ stocks are exchanged throughout the planet.
With all this data that is being released by the millisecond, the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism offers students a way to sit back and try to take it all in.
Scripps Hall is home to a Bloomberg Terminal, located in the Lasher Learning Center.
However, Scripps students aren’t using the terminal enough, said Robert Stewart, director of the School of Journalism.
The terminal features unique software called the Bloomberg Professional service, through which users can monitor and analyze real-time financial-market data movements and place trades on the electronic trading platform. The setup also provides news and price quotes across its secure network.
The computer has dual monitors and a specialized keyboard programmed to execute common actions to easily access news and equity information.
“The terminal was a gift that we received about a decade ago,” Stewart said. “What happened was we had an alumna, Anne Swardson, who was recognized and received the L.J. Hortin Award at Scripps for her accomplishments. She works for Bloomberg and advocated for us.”
“Being honored meant a lot to me and felt terrific,” said Swardson, who is now an editor-at-large at Bloomberg News in Paris, France.
“A Bloomberg Terminal just seemed like a natural fit at Scripps and I wanted to give back since I was able to get training and a great education at OU,” Swardson said. “Bloomberg had partners with numerous schools and Scripps wasn’t on their radar.”
Copeland Hall houses another terminal used by the Student Equity Management Group and the Fixed Income Management Group; however, unlike the donated terminal in Scripps, this one comes with a price.
“The Ohio University Foundation pays a commercial rate, which is fairly substantial,” said John Stowe, O’Bleness professor of finance and faculty adviser for SEMG.
A spokeswoman for Bloomberg would not comment on the pricing of the Bloomberg Professional service, but according to a 2008 New York Times article, the cost is $1,800 per month for a small number of firms that use only one terminal.
“What’s unfortunate is the objective of College of Business is to place business majors in high finance positions where Bloomberg terminals are used almost exclusively, but the school and the college aren’t really providing that opportunity on a wide-scale basis because there is one terminal for the College of Business,” said Grant Hesser, a sophomore studying finance and accounting and executive board member of SEMG.
Stewart said the College of Business requested access to Scripps’ terminal, which was granted.
“I would love to see Scripps students using it more, but there is training involved,” Stewart said. “Students aren’t taking business-journalism classes as much anymore, but we hope this will change when we move to the new building and settle in a new curriculum.”
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