The_Ticker

Photo of Frank Fumich on top of a mountain with the WVU Let's Go flag

Frank Fumich: Mountain Man

Frank Fumich: Mountain Man

Chambers College alumnus Frank Fumich no longer lives in West Virginia, but he’s still called to the mountains – specifically, Mount Everest. 

Fumich plans to summit Mount Everest as part of the Explorer’s Grand Slam, an adventuring challenge that’s already taken him to the other six highest peaks in the world as well as the North and South Poles. He anticipates completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam in 2026, which will make him only the 18th person in history to do so. 

Fumich may be close to the finish line, but he’s not slowing down. 

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to push myself to see what I’m capable of,” Fumich said. “That philosophy has proven key to my athletic pursuits as well as my business accomplishments. You never learn anything about yourself by sitting on the couch!”

Read more about Frank Fumich's achievements.

Take Stock

Worried about a looming recession and what to do with your money? Hold steady on those investment plans, advises Alexander Kurov, professor and Fred T. Tattersall research chair in finance. In an article penned for The Conversation, Kurov writes “Stick to your long-term plan and ignore day-to-day market fluctuations, however frightening they may be. Don’t take my word for it. The tried and true approach of passive investing is backed up by a lot of evidence.” To dive into the full article, go to go.wvu.edu/kurov.

Read Article

The Gavel Strikes 20

2023 marks the 20th year of law firm Steptoe & Johnson’s participation in the FAFE (Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination) graduate program’s Moot Court exercise. This capstone experience puts students’ skills to the test by having them investigate mock cases based on real-world financial crimes, culminating in a trial where they must testify as to their findings.  

Read Article

Beauty and the Least (Paid) $$$

Football was never intended to be a beauty pageant. A study led by economics professor Brad Humphreys backs it up. In fact, if you’re a handsome heartthrob coaching an NCAA Division I team, you might get a penalty flag when it comes to pay.

Read Article

Fans Arrive Like Butterflies

Large, one-off events such as music concerts can create economic impacts not seen from professional sports, suggests rockin’ research by Joshua Hall, chair and professor of economics. Hall and Justin Parker, a 2020 Ph.D. economics graduate, found that Pearl Jam’s Seattle “Home Shows” in August 2018 generated $58 million in additional hotel revenue and $9 million in hotel tax revenue. That dwarfs Seattle Mariners baseball games ($140,000 in additional hotel revenue on game days). Their research was published in the Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights.

Read Article

Feminine Appeal

After graduating magna cum laude in finance and economics in 2008, Nesha Sanghavi launched UG Apparel, collegiate sports fashions for women. As a varsity cheerleader for the WVU football and basketball teams, Sanghavi noticed the lack of feminine appeal in WVU clothing. So she did something about it. How successful has she been? Enough to donate $100,000 to establish an endowed scholarship and student enrichment fund in her name. She was named to the Roll of Distinguished Alumni in 2019.

Read Article