Villanova School of Business (VSB) Introduces the New Victoria and Justin Gmelich ’90 VSB Lab for Financial Markets
VSB received a $3 million commitment from alumnus Justin Gmelich ’90 VSB, and his wife, Victoria
VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova School of Business (VSB) has announced the new Victoria and Justin Gmelich ’90 Lab for Financial Markets, a state-of-the art facility where students and faculty can study and research in an environment parallel to a Wall Street trading floor with greater exposure to real estate, analytics, management information systems and other fields.
VSB received a $3 million commitment from alumnus Justin Gmelich ’90 VSB and his wife, Victoria, making it one of the largest named gifts for a financial markets lab in the country.
“This gift from Justin and Victoria demonstrates their commitment to preparing the next generation of Villanova business leaders,” said University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. “It also reflects their belief in Villanova’s mission and a desire to pay it forward by creating opportunities for our business students to excel in a variety of fields. On behalf of the entire University community, we are extremely grateful to the Gmelichs for their generous support.”
Over 50% larger than the prior Applied Finance Lab, the Gmelich Lab for Financial Markets establishes an even stronger connection between the classroom and the business world, improves experiential learning opportunities with alumni and employers, and increases the technological proficiency of all students.
“As two former bond traders, Victoria and I experienced first-hand the importance of technology in capital markets and the growing need for students to be conversant in coding,” explained Justin Gmelich. “Sponsoring a state-of-the-art finance lab provides a platform for educating the next generation of finance leaders while supporting Villanova University and its nationally recognized business school.”
The Gmelich Lab for Financial Markets includes a large classroom with 28 workstations and seating capacity for 56, nine 75” LED screens, and fully integrated video conferencing software allowing alumni and business leaders to seamlessly enter the academic setting. It also contains a smaller lab with 13 additional workstations designed for group projects and research. Throughout the Gmelich Lab for Financial Markets, students can access high processing computers equipped with Bloomberg access and other market data.
“As emerging technology continues to transform finance, real estate, analytics, management information system and other disciplines, the Gmelich Lab for Financial Markets creates even more opportunities for VSB students to enter the professional world at a competitive advantage,” said Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD, the Helen and William O’Toole Dean at VSB.
While VSB’s previous Applied Finance Lab was at the forefront when it was constructed, the Gmelich Lab for Financial Markets now offers VSB students a technology hub for a wider variety of fields.
“Justin is a passionate Villanovan who is committed to the University in so many ways, including his extraordinary service as vice chair of our Board of Trustees,” said Michael J. O’Neill, Senior Vice President for University Advancement. “This gift from Justin and Victoria will help support countless numbers of business students as they prepare for successful careers in finance. We thank the Gmelichs for their generosity and continued leadership.”
Justin Gmelich served as the Chief Operating Officer of fixed income, currency and commodities at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. prior to his retirement in March 2019. Previously, Gmelich was global head of Credit Trading and head of U.S. Credit Trading and U.S. Mortgage Trading departments. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1998 and was named managing director in 2002 and partner in 2004. Before joining Goldman Sachs, Gmelich was an associate trader at Chase and vice president at Salomon Brothers. He has been a member of Villanova’s Board of Trustees and a member of the university’s Investment Committee since 2011, and the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees since 2017. He also serves as a trustee of the Edward Hall Gmelich Memorial Scholarship Fund and is a founder and trustee of Trinity Hall.
The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is ranked #1 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek and its online graduate business programs are ranked #2, and its online MBA program is ranked #13 by U.S. News and World Report. VSB has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence – the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management – with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and applied opportunities for students. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.