Buffalo, NY – Canisius’ Golden Griffin Fund (GGF) team will defend its 14-year winning streak when the university hosts the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Research Challenge of Western New York on Saturday, February 15. The annual financial analysis competition brings together the top business, finance and economics students from the region to research a publicly traded company, develop a comprehensive investment recommendation, and then present and defend their analysis to a panel of industry professionals.
“This competition provides an exceptional opportunity for Western New York’s college and university students to apply their classroom learning to real-world analytical methods and approaches,” says Shawn O’Rourke, PhD, dean of the Wehle Business School. “No matter the outcome, every team and every participant will gain invaluable experience in financial research, professional evaluation and presentation – skills that are critical in today’s competitive financial landscape.”
This year’s CFA Institute Research Challenge will see students competing from such schools as SUNY Oswego, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), St. John Fisher University and Syracuse University. Teams will present on Allient Systems, this year’s designated company, and make a buy, sell or hold recommendation to the judicial panel. They will be judged on analytics, valuation, reporting, writing and presentation skills.
Members of the 2025 Golden Griffin Fund team are: Reilly Boyer '25, Aidan Hart '26, Kaitlyn Petrunyak '25 and Daniel Zaccarine '25.
The Golden Griffin Fund at Canisius is a pioneering real-money equity investment fund managed by undergraduate and graduate students studying business, finance and economics. The program is instrumental in preparing the GGF team for the CFA Institute Research Challenge, as previous GGF teams have not only won the Western New York competition but have also advanced to sub-regional and regional levels across the U.S. In 2015, Canisius’ GGF team won the Global Finals of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, securing first place over more than 4,000 students from 865 universities around the world.
The winner of this year’s WNY regional challenge advances to the next round, with the final results to be announced in March.
For more information about the CFA Institute Research Challenge or the Golden Griffin Fund, contact University Communications at 716-888-2792.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
