John Phelan ’86, co-founder and co-managing partner of MSD Capital, L.P., offered his insights about Wall Street and the financial crisis at the first Gartner Honors Lecture of the academic year September 10. His topic, “The Financial Crisis of The Big Short: An Investor’s Perspective,” continued the campuswide discussion of SMU’s 2012 Common Reading selection, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis. Phelan challenged the accuracy of the book and encouraged students to seek multiple perspectives on the issues of the day. He also advised students to follow their passions, not the latest trends, to be successful. Phelan graduated cum laude with distinction from SMU with Bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science. He earned his M.B.A. degree from Harvard University in 1990 and holds a General Course degree with an emphasis in economics and international relations from the London School of Economics. Phelan serves on the Investment Committee of the SMU Endowment.