CANTON -- Students in SUNY Canton's new Business Learning Center will benefit from a $20,000 pledge from Alesco Advisors for new ways to access and analyze financial information.

The new learning space in the recently renovated Cook Hall Room 100 features a large touchscreen display showing financial indicators and an LED ticker displaying real-time stock prices of major companies.

The classroom was designed specifically for students taking classes in the finance, management, business administration and accounting programs.

"The space gives our students an opportunity to further explore long- and short-term investing practices and their impact on business," said Jondavid S. DeLong, dean of the school of business and liberal arts.

Representatives from the SUNY Canton College Foundation expressed gratitude for the $20,000 gift from Alesco Advisors of Pittsford, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission registered investment advisory firm managing $2.5 billion for institutional and wealthy individual clients.

The College Foundation also supports the Investment Club, which will operate in the space in conjunction with other business programs. Investment Club students can invest actual funds in a range of long-term investments and track results to build an asset base to support scholarships.

"The college created the Business Learning Center for students to help provide a hands-on learning experience with investments," said Assistant Professor Umesh Kumar, a business faculty member who helped design the new classroom.

Improvements were made as part of the Cook Hall renovation project. Across the hall from the investment center, the Funeral Services Administration program has moved into a new chapel and student workspace. The college also recently completed brand-new classrooms on the second floor of the building.