The Richard Pilosof Financial Services Laboratory will be established at Coastal Carolina University. Housed in the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, the lab was made possible through a $250,000 gift from Richard Pilosof, a 1983 CCU finance graduate, and his family. The gift was made in support of I'M IN - The Endowment Campaign for Coastal Carolina University.

"I really enjoyed my experience at Coastal," Pilosof said. "I was able to build meaningful relationships with many of my professors, which allowed me to earn a great education. I want to give back and inspire others. My hope is that the lab will help students gain a better understanding of financial markets and will inspire them to pursue financial careers."

The funds will be used to provide financial tools that students majoring in finance and other disciplines in the Wall College of Business require to master their degree area. These tools include hardware and software such as Morningstar Direct, Thomson Reuters, S&P Capital, Palisade, the Center for Research in Security Prices, and CCU's Gerald Boyles Student Investment Fund, which gives students the opportunity to implement their financial knowledge of various financial markets by using real money to make real investments.

"The generous gift from Mr. Pilosof will have a long-lasting impact on the student experience in the Wall College of Business," said Dean Barbara Ritter. "This gift will allow us to provide the applied activities and skill development needed to prepare finance students for success. It is inspiring to see a successful alumnus reconnect with our college in such a way as to enhance the educational opportunities for the next generation of Coastal graduates."

Located on the first floor of the Wall Building, the state-of-the-art lab is equipped with world-class investment management software; 27 student terminals with dual monitors; two large-screen televisions that provide access to financial news channels; and a 15-foot ticker display with scrolling financial information.

Pilosof is a managing partner and CEO of RP Investment Advisors. Established in 2009, the Toronto-based money management firm specializes in active investment grade credit funds and interest rate management.

In 1987, at age 27, he became the youngest managing director for the Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets. Eleven years later, after working his way up the ranks and developing superior skills as a bond trader, he was asked by RBC to lead the business integration of a bank merger in London. During the next decade, Pilosof managed and built RBC's international capital markets platform into a major operation with sites in London, Hong Kong, Sydney and New York. He was credited with significantly increasing RBC's percentage of revenues earned from operations outside of Canada.

I'M IN - The Endowment Campaign for Coastal Carolina University was recently launched to increase CCU's endowment by $20 million by 2020, which would add approximately $800,000 in new funds annually to support additional student scholarships and academic excellence. To learn more about the campaign, visit coastal.edu/endowment.