The ''College National Fed Challenge'' is an annual team competition for undergraduate college students inspired by the working of the
Federal Open Market Committee. The competition is intended to encourage students to learn more about the U.S. macro economy, the
Federal Reserve System and the implementation of monetary policy. The College Fed Challenge also aims at promoting interest in economics and finance as subjects for advanced study and as the basis for a career.
[“Ramapo College of New Jersey EEA:Fed Challenge 2010 Competition,” Ramapo.edu, 8 November 2010]
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Purpose
In addition to the educational benefits and confidence arising through the competition, students benefit from opportunities to apply their economic experiences in the real world. These skills learned can be applied to acquire internships, discover potential career paths, and hone skills of public speaking, logical thinking, writing, and analysis. Instructors of undergraduate institutions benefit through the use of a venue to develop enthusiasm for the study of economics and to integrate their curriculum with an active learning experience.[“The College Fed Challenge Handbook,” The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, 30 May 2007, ]
* To develop an understanding of the components of a modern economy and their long-term contribution to economic growth and development, while appreciating the short-run fluctuations which lead to business cycle activity.
* To comprehend the role of the Federal Reserve System in creating monetary policy designed to promote economic stabilization in furtherance of achieving the dual mandate of price level stability and maximum employment while assuring moderate long-term interest rates and financial system stability.
* To understand the short-run and long-run interactions of monetary policy with regard to unemployment, inflation, economic growth, fiscal policy, and exchange rate stability.
* To promote an understanding of current political and economic issues which impact on overall economic and financial system activity.
* To increase students' awareness and understanding of the unique role of the Federal Reserve in the economy.
* To develop students' research, cooperation, presentation, and critical thinking skills.
Format
Teams of three to five students per college team present current macroeconomic and financial information to a panel compiled of professional economists, bankers, financial analysts, and academics. Each team is afforded 15 minutes to analyze and present various macroeconomic theories which if implemented, could lead to economic prosperity. At the end of the 15-minute presentation the team must formulate a monetary plan for the Federal Reserve Bank to implement. A 15-minute question and answer session involving the presenting team and the panel follows the 15-minute presentation. Panel members quiz the students on current events, economic definitions, and macroeconomic policy during the 15-minute session.[“Harvard College Fed Challenge,” hcs.harvard.edu, 8 November 2010](_blank)
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Teams compete in two rounds at the regional competition which takes place at a nearby Federal Reserve Bank. Winners of the regional competition advance to the final round in the national competition, held in Washington, D.C.[“Lafayette, Reigning National Champion in College Fed Challenge, Will Host Regional Competition,” Lafayette.edu, 8 November 2010]
Scoring
The panel of judges score each team after the 15-minute question and answer session. A maximum of 50 points are awarded accordingly. Judges use a scoring rubric which analyzes the team's "Knowledge of the Fed, current state of the economy, and monetary policy", "Responses to Judges questions", "Quality of the presentation", "Research and analysis", and "Teamwork and cooperation".
Participating Federal Reserve Banks
The following Federal Reserve Banks participate in the College Fed Challenge:
National Champions
2023 Harvard University: Hyuntae Choi, Sam Meacham, Ben Workman, Megan Yeo, and Dora Ivkovich
2022 Princeton University: Lauren Fahlberg, Noah Harrigan, Shivani Prusty, Shirley (Yilin) Ren, and Richard Zhu
2021 Pace University: Yuwei Liu, Fiona Waterman, Christopher Beck, Casey Cloutier, Kate Fong
2020 Dartmouth College: Ayan Agarwal, Tench Coxe, Utsav Jalan, Kira Koehler, Zack Olson
2019 Pace University: Scarlett Bekus, Joseph Drennan, Sean Freda, Marissa Kleinbauer, and Dylan Seals
2018 Yale University: Ramiz Colak, Sienna Gough, Rohit Goyal, David Rubio, and Lydia Wickard["Press Release," Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 29 November 2018]
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2017 Pace University: Klejdja Qosja, Marina Testani, Salil Ahuja, Scarlett Bekus, and Carly Aznavorian
2016 Rutgers University – New Brunswick, Rutgers University - New Brunswick: Karn Dalal, Ali Haider Ismail, Andrew Lee, Shivram Viswanathan, and Ashton W. Welles
2015 Pace University: Daniella Gambino, Katherine Craig, Omar Habib, Yuliya Palianok, and Melissa Navas["Press Release," Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2 December 2015]
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2014 Pace University: Lauren Price, Yulia Mikhailova, Kelsey Berro, Katherine Craig, and Jordan Jhamb["Press Release," Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2 December 201]
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2013 Harvard University: Andreas Schaab, Eugene Wang, Samuel Young, Justin Katiraei, and Daniel Tartakovsky[“Press Release,” Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2 December 2013]
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2012 Northwestern University, Northwestern: David Chen, Eric Zhang, Jonathan Cohen, Geoffrey Bery, and Nikhil Byanna[“Press Release,” Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 27 November 2012]
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2011 Harvard University: Sumit Malik, Anirudha Balasubramanian, James Sun, Benjamin Sprung-Keyser, and Andreas Schaab[“Press Release,” Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 29 November 2011]
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2010 Bentley University, Bentley: David Norrish, Pranay Jain, Christina Harstad, Peter Jurik, and Satyajeet Jadhavrao[“Press Release,” Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 30 November 2010]
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2009 Lafayette College, Lafayette: Teevrat Garg, Dan Stefan, Dylan McNamara, and Nick Stacey[“Lafayette College Wins National College Fed Challenge,” Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, 4 December 2009, ]
2008 Harvard University: Troy Murrell, Colin Motley, Akeel Rangwala, William Schaub, and Anna Zhang
2007 Harvard University: Troy Murrell, Colin Motley, Akeel Rangwala, William Schaub, and Scott Vautour
2006 Northwestern: Joshua Plavner, Rosa Li, Jeanne Ruan, Frederick Herrmann, and Joshua Goldstein[“Northwestern Fed Challenge Team Wins Third Consecutive National Title,” Northwestern University, 29 November 2006]
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2005 Northwestern: Aditya Damani, Derek Moeller, Jeanne Ruan, Kevin Rodrigues, and Reed Van Gorden[“Northwestern Students Win College Fed Challenge Again,” Northwestern University, 6 December 2005]
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2004 Northwestern: Aditya Damani, Derek Moeller, Alexander Leung, Rosa Li, and Josh Plavner[“Northwestern University Team Wins National 'Fed Challenge' Competition,” Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 1 December 2004]
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See also
*National Fed Challenge
The National Fed Challenge is an academic competition that provides high school students (grades 9-12) with an insider's view of how the United States central bank, the Federal Reserve, makes monetary policy.
The Fed Challenge begins with regional ...
* Federal Reserve Bank
* Federal Reserve System
*Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, commonly known as the Boston Fed, is responsible for the First District of the Federal Reserve, which covers New England: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and all of Connecticut except ...
* Federal Open Market Committee
References
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