On April 1 -2, two Gateway Community College (GCC) business majors will compete in the annual Fed Challenge, a team competition, f inspired by the Federal Open Market Committee, for undergraduate college students. 

Under the mentorship of GCC business professor Lorraine Li , students must prepare a presentation on the economy, make a near-term forecast, discuss issues that may arise, suggest monetary policy and formulate questions and answers. Participants are not graded, but instead are given helpful critiques of their performance by several judges including Robert Porter from Quinnipiac University, Nick Perna of Yale University, and Helene Robbins, vice president, Trust & Fiduciary Specialist at Wells Fargo Bank. 

The Fed Challenge kicks off with an evening reception/dinner on April 1 with keynote speaker, Paul Solman, business, economics and occasional art correspondent for the PBS NewsHour. Professor Solman will discuss the current US economic conditions with teams from Gateway, North Shore (Danvers, MA) and Queensboro (NY, NY) Community Colleges. Team presentations commence on April 2. 

This is the seventh year that GCC students have participated in the Fed Challenge, which is made possible in part through generous sponsorship from the Gateway Community College Foundation. The GCC Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports Gateway Community College and its mission. Foundation funds support student scholarships, state-of-the-art classroom equipment and materials, and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. 

The Fed Challenge is open to instructors and students and will be held in N100 at Gateway Community College, 20 Church Street, New Haven. For information on the Fed Challenge, contact Lorraine Li at (203) 285-2285 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .