Pub. 2 2011 Issue 1

www.wvbankers.org 24 F or the past three years, I have had the privilege to serve as West Virginia’s appointed Trustee to the Board of Trustees of the Graduate School of Banking. One of the duties, as Trustee, is to be an Ambassador for the school and raise the school’s presence to West Virginia bankers. As I’ve written in earlier articles, “this task is by far one of the easiest duties I’ve been asked or had the privilege to do. For you see, the accom- plishments of the many West Virginia GSB graduates and the School’s rich history produces its own marketing campaign”. In today’s turbulent environment, we all need to be sur- rounded by seasoned and well educated bankers. Not only for leadership, but for the future of our organizations and industry. We have never, to my knowledge, seen a time when our industry is under such pressures. Hopefully we have started to emerge from one of the worst financial times in our industry only to awaken to a new era of regulatory reform and oversight. Whether it be “Reg. E, “Reg. Z”, “Dodd-Frank”, “Interchange Legislation”, or the “CFPB”, our industry is go- ing to face even more pressure and changes in the future. The only way to continue our success is to insure we have the talent necessary to guide us through these changes. Being a GSB graduate, I have my own story to tell of how my career was impacted by the school; however, I believe the com- ments of recent graduates tell a greater story. Alan R. Terry, Vice President of Pioneer Community Bank had this to say. “I found the Graduate School of Banking to be a very challenging but rewarding experience. I would recom- mend the school to any banker that is interested in obtaining a well-rounded post graduate banking education. The classroom instruction was interesting and useful. I especially enjoyed the instructors that were fellow bankers and were able to provide a realistic insight to the banking industry. The projects were time consuming but they helped me to become more proficient with the information that I learned in class and really was an important part of the experience.” “In addition, the network of people that is obtained from the school in very valuable. I still remain in contact with several of the people that I met there and occasionally we will bounce ideas off of each other. In fact, I recently financed property in Horry County, South Carolina and I called a member of the school faculty that works in Horry County and he was very helpful in steering me to qualified appraisers and attorneys in the area. This is the type of relationships that I believe any banker would find useful.” Daniel Ware, VP and BSA, Bank of Gassaway said “Attend- ing the Graduate School of Banking at LSU has been one of the best educational experiences of my career. The school is perfect for a mid-career, mid-level bank professional. At the school, we are exposed to new ideas and techniques from all over the US and Mexico that we may have never been exposed to in our own geographic area. This school allows students to learn about all areas of bank operation, not just their area of expertise. The faculty is composed of some of the nation’s top college educators and bank professionals. The location at LSU is wonderful and the staff takes very good care of the bank- ing school students. A very large benefit to me personally is the opportunity to network with other bankers from different states and countries. The overall experience of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU is helping to make me a better, more knowledgeable banker and a greater asset to my institution. Graduate School of Banking graduates have a story to tell….one of success and contribution. I would ask that as you look around your organization for the “star performers” or “future leaders”, you include the Graduate School of Banking at LSU into their career development plan. You will save significant time in the training process and enjoy a huge return on your investment. If you or someone within you company would like more infor- mation on the May 22 – June 23, 2011 session, please feel free to contact me at bloving@yourbank.com or 304-358-2311. Ad- ditional information can also be found at www.gsblsu.org. Q LSU Graduate School of Banking By William A. Loving, Jr., President & CEO- Pendleton Community Bank, GSB Trustee. “The overall experience of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU is helping to make me a better, more knowledgeable banker and a greater asset to my institution.”