(Karissa Jobman/The Daily Campus)

The dedication ceremony for the Kitt Investing and Trading Center, a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility at the Cox School of Business, took place Wednesday.

The Kitt Center was funded by Barry and Beth Kitt, parents of Gregory W. Kitt, who graduated from SMU in 2008, and Steven M. Kitt, a current SMU senior.

“This is a great story for the SMU experience and satisfied SMU parents willing to make a profound impact on the direction of education,” Dean of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business Albert W. Niemi Jr. said.

The dedication came about after a meeting with Dean Niemi, Barry Kitt stressed the importance of experiential education.

The dean told him about existing plans to create a center that would simulate real-world experiences.

“Mr. Kitt stuck a hand out and said let’s do it,” Niemi said.

The Kitt Center is equipped with a 1,200-square-foot LED stock ticker, three video walls and 10 Bloomberg

Professional terminals. University officials hope the pristine center elevates the Cox School of Business to a position of even higher global prestige.

“Kitt joins existing centers, such as the Ann Rife Cox Undergraduate student-managed student portfolios, to raise Cox’s image. The world better attend to this program,” President R. Gerald Turner said.

The Cox School of Business is one of the top schools at SMU. It has routinely been ranked in the top 15 in national polls. Currently, Bloomberg Businessweek ranks the executive education program at Cox as ninth best in the nation.

“As with any top school, Cox grads get hired real fast while other grads are still looking for work,” Turner said. “All students need to take advantage of the opportunities available in this center.”

First-year student Daisuke Takeda took those words to heart.

“I cannot wait to manage a portfolio my senior year,” Takeda said. “It is incredible all I can do here.”