PNC Foundation supports the Capital Markets Lab

The Capital Markets Lab rang the bell on a new chapter for UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, thanks to support from the PNC Foundation.

In honor of a $500,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to support the continued expansion of UNC Kenan-Flagler, the lab has been named the PNC Capital Markets Lab.

A critical hub for students learning about the financial industry, the lab provides students with hands-on learning experiences using the most sophisticated tools in the investment management industry and helps prepare them for successful careers in the financial industry.

“All of us at PNC have long recognized the vital role that UNC Kenan-Flagler plays in equipping students for success in today’s competitive business environment,” says Jim Hansen (MBA ’08), PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas.

“When we learned about plans for the campus expansion, which will allow UNC Kenan-Flagler to serve more students, we knew we wanted to be part of this chapter of their growth story,” says Hansen. “It is gratifying to see the school’s continued and ongoing commitment to provide students with opportunities for experiential learning in a rigorous academic environment.”

Jim Hansen (MBA ’08), PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas

The UNC Kenan-Flagler community is grateful for PNC’s support, says Dean Mary Margaret Frank (BSBA ’92, MAC ’92, PhD ’99). “Collaborating with PNC is strategically important to us as we prepare students for career success, conduct research that makes an impact on business, and equip our graduates to contribute to communities across North Carolina.”

The PNC Capital Markets Lab is a one-of-a-kind space dedicated to teaching, research and collaboration. Students train on its 20 Bloomberg terminals, use research tools to explore financial markets in real time, and manage real funds in equity and fixed-income portfolios.

PNC and UNC Kenan-Flagler share a commitment to the continued growth of North Carolina’s economy, Hansen says. “As UNC Kenan-Flagler thrives, it contributes to our region’s growth by developing future leaders in banking and business and providing a robust talent pipeline.”

“It gives me great pride that the lab will now bear the PNC name,” said Hansen. “This recognition underscores PNC’s support for education with clear outcomes – in this case, an investment in experiential learning that develops talented students as future generations of leaders for our industry and state.”

The importance of the PNC Capital Markets Lab can’t be overestimated.

“It’s a bridge between the theoretical and the practical,” says Professor Ric Colacito of the PNC Capital Markets Lab. 

“The lab has been at the heart of financial education and research at UNC Kenan-Flagler since 2008,” says Finance Professor Ric Colacito, faculty director of the Center for Excellence in Investment Management. “It’s a remarkable space where numbers are discussed, analyzed and, occasionally, passionately objected to on a daily basis.”

For students pursuing a Capital Markets and Investments concentration, the lab is more than a classroom – it’s practically a second home. A typical student spends about 168 hours in the lab throughout their program.

“All of my investment classes have been in this room,” says Ryan Durr (MBA ’25), chair of the Alpha Challenge, the national investment pitch competition hosted annually by UNC Kenan-Flagler. “In fact, all my classes this semester are in the lab. I’m currently taking an applied trading class,  and a fixed-income class, and I’m a portfolio manager in the Applied Investment Management course, all of which require the use of the PNC Capital Markets Lab and its resources.”

The lab is special place for faculty, too.

“As a researcher focused on global financial markets, I’ve spent countless hours in the lab downloading data and, I’ll admit, occasionally discovering that what I thought were the most beautiful theories in the world provided, at best, an imperfect approximation of what was actually happening in the markets,” Colacito says. “It’s a humbling reality check, one that is not just valuable but essential for making real progress.

Over his 19 years at UNC Kenan-Flagler, Colacito has taught between 130 to 150 undergraduate, MBA and PhD students per year in this classroom. “That’s a grand total of over 2,500 students! While I’d like to think they benefitted from my teachings, I can say with certainty that their time here was elevated by the incredible resources and experiences this room provides.”

“All of my investment classes have been in this room,” says Ryan Durr (MBA ’25).

Beyond the numbers and memories, the PNC Capital Markets Lab represents something bigger.

“It’s a bridge between the theoretical and the practical – a place where students learn not just how to analyze markets, but also how to think critically and prepare for the challenges of the financial world,” says Colacito. “It’s also where faculty conduct cutting-edge research and collaborate with students and with each other.

“PNC’s generous grant ensures this lab will continue to empower students and faculty alike for years to come. We are grateful to PNC for their support and their commitment to education and innovation, and for helping us build the future of finance right here at UNC Kenan-Flagler.”