The Jenny Investment Club was founded in 1955 by Hans H. Jenny and other members of the Economics Department. One of the first investment clubs anywhere, it was called the Wooster Student Aid Fund (WSAF) and was organized as an Ohio not-for-profit corporation separate from, but affiliated with The College of Wooster.
The initial funding for the portfolio, about $800, was supplied by “Chapel Fines” paid by students who missed more than the permitted number of (required) chapel meetings. The Fund’s two functions were to help students and other members of the College community learn about investments and to provide scholarship funds for international students.
In 1981, Hans Jenny, member of the Economics Department, Vice President for Finance, and long-time advisor to the WSAF retired. WSAF Trustees drafted a constitution and formally recognize that the funds are part of the College’s endowment. In return, the College’s Board of Trustees recognized the group as the managers of the fund. The value of the WSAF portfolio was approximately $70,000 at that time.
In 1982, WSAF is re-named, the Jenny Student Aid Fund (JSAF) to honor Hans Jenny’s participation with the group for over twenty-five years.
By 1996, the value of the “Main” portfolio had grew to approximately $250,000 including approximately $20,000 in gifts from alumni and former members of the group. The College received a $50,000 gift from Oak Associates of Akron that became part of the Jenny Student Aid Fund’s assets.
In 1999, the name of the group was changed to, “Jenny Investment Club” (JIC) which members believed better reflects the activities of the group.
In 2002, the College’s Board of Trustees created an additional portfolio in the amount of $500,000 to be managed by the JIC Trustees, but not to be included in scholarship payouts. An additional $1 million was added in 2010 from the Trustees due to our exceptional performance.