ATLANTA (Sept. 20, 2018) – On Thursday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m., the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil its Bloomberg Finance Lab.

Atlanta University Center students, faculty and administrators representing Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College gathered with Library staff and Bloomberg executives to celebrate the opening of the new financial applications learning lab.

Equipped with 13 computer stations featuring Bloomberg Terminal software and an interactive Market Wall, the Bloomberg Finance Lab will provide hands-on learning experiences and allow students and faculty to engage in real-world applications with software and services that are employed throughout global financial markets. Users will be able to examine the principles of market structure and learn software programs that drive the financial marketplace.

The lab will support the teaching and learning activities of students and faculty in the Atlanta University Center—the largest consortium of HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) in the nation— in business, economics and finance-related programs.

“This Bloomberg Finance Lab is an essential tool for those seeking careers in finance, economics and more,” said Loretta Parham, CEO and Library Director. “We are excited to make this vital resource available to Atlanta University Center students to supplement their classroom learning and to help them excel in their chosen industries.”

The Bloomberg Terminal software is used globally by top business and financial professionals and allows users to monitor and analyze real-time financial market data and place trades on its electronic trading platforms. The Market Wall is a digital display that provides the latest stocks and bonds information, indices, currencies and the latest business news.

“The dynamics of the U.S. and world economies, and the financial services sector in particular, requires access to high-quality and real-time information to support decision-making,” said Todd Greene, Executive Director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium. “The Bloomberg Finance Lab enables Atlanta University Center students to develop important practical experiences and skills to augment the meaningful instruction offered by each of our institutions.”

Sharon Davies, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Spelman College, agrees.

“The world’s top financial professionals and global markets everywhere rely daily on Bloomberg Terminal software to stay current on minute-to-minute developments in the business and financial sectors,” Davies said. “With this new learning lab, the largest consortium of Black undergraduate and graduate students in the nation will have access to real time market data and exposure to information technologies on the cutting edge of the business and finance fields.”

The AUC Woodruff Library hosted a training session following the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Bloomberg representatives and staff librarians who trained students on how to use the Bloomberg financial software.

The lab is accessible to all AUC students and faculty from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

About the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library

The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library serves the nation’s largest consortium of historically black colleges and universities, which includes Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College and Spelman College. As the intellectual center of this prestigious academic community, the Library’s mission is to provide the highest level of information resources and services in support of student and faculty success and the cultural preservation of the Atlanta University Center. In addition to the aesthetic benefits of this state-of-the-art facility, the Library has evolved into a model repository of information resources and a front-runner in the innovative delivery of digital resources. The AUC Woodruff Library is the winner of the 2016 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the university category from the Association of Collegiate and Research Libraries (ACRL). Library CEO Loretta Parham was named the ACRL 2017 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year. Additional information about the AUC Woodruff Library is available at www.auctr.edu.