The Southeastern School of Banking Graduates 50 Students
Athens Banker Wins Scholarship

Nashville—Bankers from across the state of Tennessee have completed the 2004 session of The Southeastern School of BankingSM (TSSB). Fifty students, representing all facets of banking, graduated from TSSB, held at the Owen Graduate School of Management on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The Southeastern School of Banking (TSSB) is one of the four highly respected Southeastern Banking Schools conducted annually by the Tennessee Bankers Association.

Organized in 1939, the TSSB is one of the oldest and largest state association–sponsored banking schools in the country. It has provided professional training for more than 8,000 bankers since its inception. The school offers 80 hours of instruction over a two–year period at an intermediate-level. The curriculum focuses on critical banking functions, their interrelationships, and determinants of profitability.

“The Southeastern School of Banking concentrates on developing the banker’s analytical skills and management techniques,” said Philip Calahan, senior vice president, First community Bank of Bedford County, and president of the board of trustees for TSSB. “Additionally, students learn how to compete effectively in the ever-changing financial services environment.”

Students who excel receive special honors recognition. This year, five students graduated with honors, ranking in the top 10 percent of their class. They were:

• Myra Sharp, First Farmers and Merchants National Bank, Columbia
• Ashley Dennis, The Hardin County Bank, Savannah
• Emily Gray, The Hardin County Bank, Savannah
• Casey Midgett, DeKalb Community Bank, Smithville
• Ashley McGhee, First Century Bank, Tazewell

TSSB’s curriculum incorporates over 80 hours of classroom instruction and spans a two-year period with a one-week resident session each year. In addition to traditional banking classes, TSSB students participate in a computer bank simulation game tailored to different levels of experience. Students generally are career financial industry employees in higher-ranking staff or junior- to mid-management positions.

Scholarship Award
In addition to the honors program, one student is selected each year to receive a scholarship to continue their banking education by attending the Graduate School of Banking (GSB), conducted at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The 2004 winner of the scholarship was Shane Sewell, Athens Federal Bank, Athens. The scholarship covers the tuition for the first year, which is $3,025 for next year’s program.

The scholarship committee bases its selection on final exam grades, home-study problem grades, evaluations by school instructors, and interviews with the candidates.

The GSB is a three-year program organized in 1950 and sponsored by 15 southern bankers associations, including the TBA.

For a list of the 2004 TSSB graduates, arranged alphabetically by city,
Click Here.

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The Tennessee Bankers Association, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Nashville, is a not-for-profit organization representing the state’s 244 banks and thrift institutions and their 33,000 employees. The Association provides continuing education, develops and monitors state and federal legislative agendas, disseminates information on all facets of the financial services industry, and promotes the public image of financial institutions. Visit the TBA online at www.TNBankers.org.