Barnard College and Bridgewater Associates LP are partnering on an initiative to encourage and prepare young women to join the investment management industry.
The New York-based all-female college and Bridgewater, Westport, Conn., are setting up a new program that will roll out over the next six years to provide financial support and mentoring for students studying economics, mathematics, statistics and computer science, a Barnard news release said. Barnard said it will recruit students for the program.
The New Pathways Powered by Bridgewater initiative also will feature support from Barnard faculty mentors on research and applied industry engagement projects while Bridgewater mentors will focus on career and industry advising.
Barnard students in the program also are eligible for a paid 10-week summer research project with a Barnard faculty member after their sophomore year. After their junior year, program members can undertake a paid 10-week internship at Bridgewater or another company in the investment industry, Barnard's release said.
"This is a first-of-its-kind initiative for both organizations with an established multiyear commitment of over $1 million from Bridgewater. The program is designed to start small and allow for rapid learning and adapting along the way, but we'll have the ability to scale through time," said Robyn Shepherd, Bridgewater's head of corporate engagement.
The Barnard-Bridgewater program will focus on "first-generation and underrepresented minority students in its potential to expand and diversify the workforce pipeline in finance, tech and other traditionally male-led sectors by breaking down barriers that have traditionally inhibited the career success of women," said Linda A. Bell, Barnard's provost, in the college's news release.
Bridgewater manages $150 billion in hedge funds and risk-parity strategies.
