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Years of rich connections and experiences at Burridge have altered countless student futures.

For a quarter century, the Burridge Center for Finance has been connecting students to the local and global finance communities—helping students transfer classroom concepts into real-world insights. In celebration of its 25 years of impact, the Burridge Center hosted a special reception on August 29 for friends and supporters, to honor Dick Burridge, Sr., who established the center with a landmark gift in 1997 and has consistently supported Leeds over the decades.

Eight members of the Burridge family were present to celebrate all that has been accomplished since the center's inception.

“It is clear that Dick Burridge, Sr. was committed to bringing together academics, industry professionals, and students, and working hard to support Leeds,” said Sheila Duffy, executive director of the center. "We can’t thank the Burridge family enough for continuing his legacy and supporting our mission.”

Moving forward, Duffy plans to expand partnerships across more sectors, in order to offer a full spectrum of career opportunities for students. Also in the works is an effort to increase the number of Leeds students who are engaged with the center. Lastly, she intends to reset and relaunch the annual Burridge conference after its pandemic pause.

Fostering financial futures

The Burridge Center plays an important role in enhancing the student academic experience through experiential learning, academic research, community engagement and industry exposure. The center takes Leeds students beyond the classroom to promote thought leadership and intellectual innovation, preparing students to address the needs of the finance profession of tomorrow through programs, events and resources.

Students studying finance can participate in many programs and clubs supported by the Burridge Center, including Leeds Investment and Trading Group, Women in Finance, Investment Banking Club, Scholars in Finance, M&A and LBO Modeling Boot Camp, Personal Financial Planning track, Quantitative Finance Certificate program as well as case competitions and finance career treks.

Duffy has made it her mission to be a voice for young professionals. “I love the energy and creativity of people who are just starting their journey, and I enjoy finding ways to help them feel supported in understanding their skills and how they fit into finance,” she said.

She stressed the importance of building connections between Leeds and our industry partners. “We’re literally building their talent pipeline, so we want to keep our partners close as we figure out how to best meet their needs for the future,” she said.