Westport hedge fund Bridgewater Associates is financing a new initiative by New York City”™s Barnard College to bring more women into the investment industry.
The “New Pathways Powered by Bridgewater” program will unfold over six years and provide financial support for young women pursuing academic studies in economics, math, statistics and computer science. Bridgewater will also provide training, exposure and opportunities for underrepresented women entering the workforce.
Participating students who have completed their sophomore year at Barnard will have the opportunity to engage in a fully-funded 10-week program of paid summer research with a faculty member in a project that uses statistical, computational, and econometric tools of data analysis. In the summer of the Bridgewater Scholars’ junior year, students will receive guaranteed funding for 10 weeks of paid internship experience at Bridgewater or another company within the investment industry.
“This truly ambitious cohort-based program is modeled after our highly successful Science Pathways Scholars Program,” noted Barnard Provost Linda A. Bell. “We see it as similar in its emphasis on first-generation and under-represented 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.”
Bridgewater CEO David McCormick added, “For our industry to continue to evolve, we need the best talent to choose careers in our field. Bridgewater is proud to join with Barnard ”“ a historically women’s college ”“ on an initiative designed to reduce barriers and expand opportunity in investing, and we look forward to building meaningful relationships with the scholars over the coming years.”
