In 2004, Gerhard Hambusch, CFA, was immersed in his studies at the University of Wyoming, working toward a PhD in economics, when he decided to pursue the CFA charter.

“My academic friends thought I was crazy,” he says, recalling how his colleagues shook their heads upon hearing the news, warning him that he would lose sight of his original goal and never finish his doctorate.

But what they didn’t know was that back in 2000, Hambusch was inspired by a German college friend who had just returned from an internship in New York — full of stories about his experiences in the city and about becoming a CFA charterholder. Gerhard was fascinated. By 2004, he was ready to take on the challenge.

With the support of his academic mentor, a former officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia who recognized the challenge and supported Gerhard’s ambitious goal of earning a PhD and a charter, he began his journey.

While his peers took the summers off to learn fly fishing, Gerhard sat for the CFA exams and headed to Chicago to work for a middle-market buyout firm.

“I wanted to get a globally recognized designation to facilitate global career moves,” he says. Raised in Germany, Hambusch pursued his education in France, Germany, and the United States, so he is a global citizen by any standard. He knows the value of a credential that he can take with him anywhere.

He felt that the charter would help him enter world-class academic institutions and receive immediate recognition when building professional networks. “I found out that it is true: The CFA charter is the global passport in finance.”

After earning his MBA, the CFA charter, and his PhD (in summer 2008), he accepted a position as a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Finance and Economics at the University of Technology in Sydney (UTS), Australia.

“The CFA Society of Sydney provided a warm welcome to Australia by allowing me to be in their CFA charter ceremony. It was fantastic. I became a part of a new family here,” he says, commenting on the instant recognition and camaraderie he felt with his fellow charterholders.

Against the breathtaking backdrop of the Royal Botanic Gardens and the harbor, the CFA Society of Sydney awarded Hambusch his charter in a formal ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club of Australia. “I’ve walked across a few stages to receive credentials and certificates before, but the charter was a special occasion — a professional milestone in a setting that was beyond compare.”

As a dedicated academic, one aspect of the CFA Program understandably caught his eye. “The lifelong learning philosophy of the program has governed a large part of my life. I’m highly attracted to the idea of continually learning and upgrading.”

In fact, the idea of continued learning is what motivated Hambusch to become the director of the University Partnership Program at UTS. CFA Institute partners with select universities that have embedded at least 70 percent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge into their degree programs. As the first undergraduate partner in Sydney, UTS became a program member in 2008.

In the classroom, Hambusch serves as an ambassador for the CFA charter. He also provides information sessions on the CFA program and the CFA Partner Program benefits. “The demand for information about the CFA program is growing every semester, a clear indication of the important role the CFA program plays in the financial industry.”

“At UTS I tell my students that [earning the charter] is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done,” he says. “But that was the point — to grow with a program that is internationally recognized. You are crossing cultures and divides with this designation,” he adds.

He also tells students that a unique bond exists among charterholders. “I always look differently at people who have been through the program. I knew that they were suffering through the exams in a similar way — in a good way,” he says with a laugh. “It was something that was not so easily achieved.”

Hambusch believes that being up to date with the investment industry is critical for his students, especially during the global economic crisis. “I believe that part of an outstanding education is being work-ready and up to speed with the newest events,” he says. “We need to adjust to the financial crisis and bring current cases and opinions to the class so we can reflect upon it and discuss it.”

He says that ethics will undoubtedly play a key role in global business education in the future. Teaching the CFA Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct in a UTS “Ethics in Finance” course means that they’re moving in this direction, he adds. “The students love the subject, especially the panel discussions and case studies.”

“As a member of the CFA Society of Sydney, I have a great address book full of professionals and I invite these people to speak to my class. It can be investment managers, financial advisers, or lawyers. During these sessions, the students can apply the CFA standards of conduct by discussing such topics as ‘What do you do with the U2 tickets offered by a client?,’ or ‘How do you assure loyalty, prudence and care when exercising investment decisions?’”

Hambusch believes that sharing his knowledge about the CFA Program is part of an educational mission that includes having his students “recognize the value of earning their own global passport.”

And besides, he confides almost apologetically, he is being paid to do finance research and go to a classroom to talk with interested, engaged students at a world-class academic institution in the spectacular city of Sydney.