Bank School Class of 2025

Internal Links Kristen Reid Michele Dunn

Bank School Class Schedule & Descriptions

2024 Bank School Curriculum

Technology, Payments & Cybersecurity

Technology now touches every aspect of banking. To lead a bank effectively and confidently into the future, it is critical that one can leverage and manage technology in a rapidly changing environment, separating hype from reality and aligning the bank’s technology plans with its strategic goals. This class will help students learn the strategic application of technology in a banking environment, how the payments system is evolving, and the importance of risk management and cybersecurity, in specific banking areas and enterprise wide.

Performance Management

Being regarded as a good manager can take you a long way in any organization. Conversely, being viewed as a weak manager can be limiting to a career. This course will provide the practical tools and methods needed to effectively lead and supervise others to maximum performance.

Bank Financial Management II

The Bank Financial Management II course will build off the basics you learned in Bank Financial Management I and will cover how to understand balance sheet management, how interest rate risk can impact a bank, and the regulatory requirements for managing interest rate risk. The course will also provide a primer on managing the financial components of a bank using the BankExec simulation.

Effective Negotiations

This course equips bankers with a practical process to use in influencing others and negotiating agreements, both inside and outside the bank. Students will use examples from their own banks in identifying interests, developing workable options, and conducting real life negotiations.

Credit Portfolio Management

This course will explore the function and impact of key risk management controls necessary to support commercial lending and credit risk management activities of commercial banks. Topics will include the historical causes of bank failures, the credit related risks assumed by commercial banks, and the function of key risk controls relative to asset quality and bank profitability. Approaches and techniques to examine the key risk management controls will be explored with specific focus on managing the loan portfolio and the commercial loan decisioning process.

Bank School Convocation

The Virtual Bank School Convocation will take place on Tuesday, July 16th at 1:30 p.m. During this Zoom meeting, VBA staff will walk through all of the Bank School logistics and answer any questions you may have.  You will also hear from the third-year class officers about two of the social activities and how you can support a local non-profit.

Zoom Information for the 2024 Bank School Convocation

Join the Bank School Convocation here.

  • Meeting ID: 810 9261 2938
  • Passcode: 107233

You can view the recording of the Bank School Convocation here.
Passcode: #31f?Gx+

Class Materials

Please note the password for all class materials is “BankSchool2024″

Download a Bank School Notes Page template Here

bank financial management – brad schwartz

ALCO Meeting Handout

Darden Lecture Handout

credit portfolio management – gary higgins

Please review the Fictional MLR and Sea Harvest cases prior to the first day of class.

Spreads FY01 - FY03 - Sea Harvest

Sea Harvest Inc. Case Overview

Material Loss Case Team Report Template

Sea Harvest Team Report Template

Fictional MLR

Credit Portfolio Management Outline

VBA Credit Portfolio Slides

effective negotiations – richard coughlan

Please think of a recent negotiation that did not turn out as well as you had hoped and bring that with you to class the first day.

Effective Negotiations

performance management – kerry sauley

Challenge The Boss

VBA Performance Outline Second Year

technology, payments & cybersecurity – jimmy sawyers

Technology, Payments & Cybersecurity Slides

Technology, Payments & Cybersecurity Handouts

Part 1 of 2 - Introduction to AI in Banking - RedTorch Academy

Part 2 of 2 - AI Risk and Reward - RedTorch Academy

Home Study Assignments

Please note the password for all home study materials is “BankSchool2024″

Along with attendance at all classes during the Bank School summer session, completion of eight home study problems (4 after the first year and 4 after the second year) with a passing grade is required to graduate from the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management.

  • Bank Financial Management (Schwartz): October 1, 2024
  • Credit Portfolio Management (Higgins): November 1, 2024
  • Technology, Payments & Cybersecurity (Sawyers): February 3, 2025
  • Effective Negotiations (Coughlan): March 3, 2025

Instructions & Bank School Honor Code

It is very important that you submit your home study assignments correctly as some instructors will deduct points for formatting. Please be sure to read the instructors directions carefully and if instructions aren’t included follow the outline on the Bank School Home Study Instruction Sheet & Bank School Honor Code.

Home Study Instruction Sheet

Honor Code

The Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of honesty and integrity in the classroom, outside of the classroom and on the home study problems. Home Study problems are individual assignments meaning you are to work on the assignment ALONE and are not to discuss the questions, potential answers, strategy, research or data resources with another Bank School student. Also, please do not send your completed paper to another student as an example. Any evidence of shared work will be considered an honor code violation.

The Honor Code is:
On my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received assistance on this assignment and that all work is my own.

Violations of the Honer Code include:

  • Plagiarism – An act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another without authorization and the representation of that author’s work as one’s own, as by not crediting the original author.
  • Cheating – Receiving, giving and attempting to receive or give unauthorized assistance, such as materials, information, notes or sources, on home study problems.

You may seek assistance from a subject matter expert in your bank as part of your research BEFORE you start to write your papers. The subject matter expert cannot be another Bank School student.

submission

Submit your home study problems by sending to: homestudy@vabankers.org. The file should be saved as a PDF and titled with last name, first initial – instructor’s last name (ex. Dunn, M – Higgins). Please include a cover sheet that can be accessed below. 

Home Study Cover Sheet

Home Study Evaluation: After sending your assignment, please complete the home study survey so we can provide feedback to the instructor. You can submit the home study evaluation here.

Home Study Assignments & Pre-Assignment Zoom Recordings

October 1, 2024: Bank Financial Management (Schwartz)

Bank Financial Management

Click here for a link to join the Zoom call with Brad Schwartz, September 3 at 3:00 pm.

Click here for a recording of the Zoom call with Brad Schwartz, September 3rd. 
Passcode: +iXG442J.

November 1, 2024: Credit Portfolio Management (Higgins)

Credit Portfolio Management

Click here for a link to join the Zoom call with Gary Higgins, September 26 at 3:30 pm.

Click here for a recording of the Zoom call with Gary Higgins, September 26th.
Passcode: %$d$Z84=

February 3, 2025: Technology, Payments & Cybersecurity (Sawyers)

Technology, Payments & Cybersecurity

Click here for a recording of the Zoom call with Jimmy Sawyers, January 2, 2025.
Passcode: GiUuf^C6

March 3, 2025: Effective Negotiations (Coughlan)

Effective Negotiations

Important Parking Information

Parking at Darden: With other groups in house and the new hotel, parking is limited at Darden. With that we have developed the following plan for students during the week of Bank School.

  • Sunday, July 21: All 1st and 3rd year students will park in the parking garage at Darden.
  • Monday, July 22 – Friday, July 26: All students will park at John Paul Jones Arena in the South Lot. The John Paul Jones Arena is located at 295 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. The South Lot is located on the corner of Massie and Copeley Roads (see here for a map indicating where you park.) Directions to JPJ can be found here. Shuttle buses will run each morning and each afternoon between the South Lot and Darden. Please note – you may have a few minutes wait as buses transport people, but they will be running a continuous loop. Shuttle times for each day can be found on your curriculum schedule here. 

Social Event Parking: We have two evening social events at The Omni during the week of Bank School – Sunday’s Welcome Reception and on Thursday’s Third Year Class Party. For students staying at the Omni, you will access the parking as normal with your room key. For students who are staying at another hotel or are commuting, you will collect a parking ticket when entering the parking garage at the Omni. At the event’s check-in, ask for a parking voucher to use when exiting the garage.

Class Officer Contact Information

President
Ashley Mizelle
TowneBank

Vice President
Maggie Andrea
United Bank

Secretary
Rosa Coffey
Bank of Botetourt

Treasurer
Eboni Lee
Benchmark Community Bank

Bank School Newsletters 

Bank School Photo Contest

Social Schedule

SUNDAY, july 21 – Welcome reception

Network with your classmates and VBA staff, register for the third year charity event, pick up your name badge, and enjoy some networking before heading off to dinner at a restaurant of your choice!

monday, july 22 – class night

Join other members of the second year class, your VBA staff liaison, Michele Dunn, and second year class faculty at Rockfish Brewing Company on Preston Ave. You can learn more about Rockfish Brewing Company here. Please note that food and beverage costs are on your own. 

tuesday, july 23 – third year class charity event

This year, the class of 2024 will be raising money and gathering donations for the Autism Sanctuary. Join students, faculty and staff for a night of fun at Random Row Brewing Company. Click here to purchase a ticket. The ticket price includes a donation to the Autism Sanctuary and two drink tickets. Bites will be available for purchase from Two Brothers Southwestern Grill food truck.

Also, we will be taking a class picture so be sure to wear your class t-shirt that you will receive on Monday!

The Autism Sanctuary also accepts items that allow it to create an inclusive, engaging space for all to learn, grow, and belong in nature! At Sunday’s Welcome Reception, the 3rd year class will be collecting the following items to deliver to the organization while at Bank School.

  • Anything gardening-related (including tools, gloves, seeds, etc.)
  • Outdoor games and activities
  • Sensory-based materials or games
  • Classroom materials
  • Office supplies
  • New printer

The organization has also created an Amazon wish list where you can purchase items and have them shipped directly to them – the wish list can be accessed here: Autism Sanctuary Donation Wish List.

thursday, july 25 – third year class party

Join the class of 2024 on Thursday night for the Third Year Class Party at The Omni Hotel, Jefferson Ballroom. The theme of this event is a Hawaiian Luau so be sure to pack your best Hawaiian Luau attire! All Bank School students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend this free event. The best dressed will receive the Big Kahuna award for their effort!

VBA Staff Contact Information

Class Liaisons
Bank School Management & Oversight