GSBLSU CLASS SCHEDULES
View our upcoming session schedules below.
Given the virtual aspect of instruction delivery for the 2021 session, the current schedule contains many material changes vs. a traditional session schedule. The administration and faculty of GSBLSU are fully aware of the concept that has become known as “Zoom Fatigue,” and have taken measures to minimize this as much as possible for our students (and faculty), while maintaining the integrity of the school’s graduate-level learning experience.
Incoming freshman (“FR”) students as well as returning junior (JR”)-level students will receive all instruction for the 2021 session via virtual platform. Returning seniors (“SR”) will receive their first four days of instruction virtually and their final six days of instruction (as well as graduation) in-person in Baton Rouge. All virtual instruction will be delivered via Zoom Video Conferencing and all course material (and respective Zoom meeting links) will be provided via secure login to students’ Moodle Platform accounts. Moodle is the online learning platform used by Louisiana State University.
Note: All times CST
Freshman & Junior Students
FR & JR students will begin their 2021 GSBLSU session on Sunday, May 23rd with an online Session Introduction meeting hosted by Dr. Mike Highfield and the staff of GSBLSU. Classes will begin on Monday, May 24th at 8:15 am and will be 1.5 hours in length with incorporated “stretch breaks.” Classes will break for lunch, daily, between 11:45 am and 1:15 pm, and the normal class-day will end at 2:45 pm.
A pre-election Zoom “Townhall” meeting will be scheduled on Wednesday, May 26th from 3:00 – 3:30 pm for all FR students at which prospective class-officer candidates will have the opportunity to deliver a two-to-three-minute speech in order to allow for classmates to get-to-know them better. FR-class officer elections will be held via a single-candidate choice at the end of the Week One exam (Thursday, May 27th). Results of the election will be announced via Moodle-post on Friday, May 28th. A Q&A “brown-bag” luncheon will he held virtually on Tuesday, June 1st for all newly-elected FR class officers to meet with officers of the JR & SR classes in order to learn more about their new roles.
While the virtual nature of the 2021 session present new challenges for our students, it also provides a new (and one-time) opportunity for our FR & JR students. Historically, and because GSBLSU is subject to the academic calendar of Louisiana State University, each session is held between the last week of May and the first week of June – including classroom instruction on Memorial Day. This year, and thanks to the flexibility of our faculty, our FR & JR students will not have to attend classes on Memorial Day, May 31st. The first week will end on Thursday, May 27th and the second week will begin on Tuesday, June 1st. (Sorry, SRs… you’ll be in class on Memorial Day.)
The 2021 session will conclude for freshman and junior students on Friday, June 4th with the completion of their Week Two exam. Both exams will be accessed through students’ individual Moodle-account logins and will be available for access between 4:00 pm & 6:00 pm. Once a student has begun the exam, he or she will have up to one hour to complete it. It is highly recommended that students begin their exams no later than 5:00 pm in order to allow the full hour for completion.
Senior Students
Senior students will also attend a Session Introduction Zoom meeting on Sunday, May 23rd, and will follow the same schedule as FR and JR students starting Monday, May 24th and concluding Thursday, May 27th with their Week One exam (same time and structure as FR & JR). Seniors will, then, travel to Baton Rouge with expectation to arrive no later than 5:30 pm on Friday, May 28th. Week Two introduction as well as BMSim introduction is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm.
Between Saturday, May 29th and Wednesday, June 2nd, seniors will engage in challenging, in-person BMSim instruction and competition with only one class required during the week (Interpreting Economic Change – D. Kohl / T. Payne) – evenings, Saturday through Monday. The Week Two exam for seniors will be delivered via Moodle between 4:00 and 6:00 pm on Tuesday, June 1st and will be limited to 30 minutes, once begun (because it covers only once class). BMSim Team Presentations will be held during the afternoon on Wednesday and the GSB staff and faculty will host a “Senior Toast” reception Tuesday evening.
The GSB staff and faculty will host a “Senior Toast” reception on Tuesday evening (following our guest speaker) at which we will honor the senior class and its accomplishments. BMSim Team Presentations will be held during the afternoon on Wednesday, June 2nd, with graduation beginning at 5:00 that evening. A limited number of guests will be allowed at graduation. Please contact Julianna Cox (julianna@gsblsu.org) for more information. A small reception for graduates and their guests, marking the conclusion of the 2021 session, will follow the graduation ceremony. Any students wishing to travel home that evening may do so, however, rooms will remain available at the hotel for those wishing to leave on Thursday, June 3rd.
Special Guest Speaker
We are once again delighted and very excited to announce that Col. Arthur J. Athens (USMC – Ret.) will be our guest speaker for Tuesday evening, June 1st, beginning at 7:00 pm. He will speak in-person at the Renaissance in Baton Rouge, but we have arranged for his speech to be live-streamed to our FR & JR students via Moodle login.
As you can possibly imagine, a great deal of work has been put into the creation of this schedule, which is unique to GSBLSU vs. all other graduate schools of banking. It is our hope that you will find it extremely enjoyable, but with the same level of academic challenge that has made GSBLSU the premier source of higher education in the banking industry, and the choice of more than 16,000 graduates over its 71-year history!
FRESHMAN SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Elective Selections:
Credit Analysis for Non Lenders | Credit Analysis for Lenders
FRESHMAN SCHEDULE
WEEK 2
Asset/Liability Management
Stephen Lacewell (Required)
Asset/Liability Management builds on the principles learned in the Bank Performance Analysis and Economics and Money Markets sections by reviewing and understanding the primary risks inherent in the bank’s assets and liabilities.
Before getting into the “nuts and bolts of ALM,” it’s worth reiterating that protecting and growing capital is paramount in banking. If capital disappears, the bank disappears! A bank’s capital must support all of the different risks (credit, liquidity, interest rate, operational, etc.) facing the institution as well as providing a base for growth. Maintaining a level of capital that meets regulatory minimums and the risk profile of the bank requires ongoing monitoring and planning. Prudent ALM is a big part of maintaining adequate capital for your bank.
The presentations in this section include an overview of asset liability management and its four main subcomponents; interest rate risk, investment portfolio management, capital management, and liquidity/funding management.
Financial Markets
Mike Highfield (Required)
Financial Markets is an introductory course to the structure, operation, and regulation of modern financial markets. It explores the function, pricing, and institutional structures of financial markets. In addition to introducing different types of financial assets, the course uses the effect of interest rate changes on bond valuation to give bankers insights on the impact of interest rate changes on bank loan portfolios. The course concludes with a discussion of risk and return as well as the use of derivatives in hedging risk.
Monetary Economics
Brandon Cline (Required)
Monetary Economics is designed to assist the banker in analyzing and explaining economic conditions and forces. Topics pertain to the entire banking and economic system, but relate directly to risk management, A/L composition, and other decisions made within the bank. The course addresses the effects of policy decisions on financial markets; it takes participants “inside” the Federal Reserve as they learn how monetary decisions are made and implemented. The course provides a practical framework for determining how fiscal and monetary policies affect global, national, and local economies. Other topics include: economic measures and indicators, regulation, interest rate risk, and the trade-offs associated with economic decision making.
Strategic Bank Marketing
John Oxford (Required)
Strategic Bank Marketing – In a conservative and commoditized industry that provides the marketplace with little choice due to product parity and regulatory restrictions, how do you make your bank stand out?
From marketing strategy and targeting to brand management, technology and budgeting, participants will develop an understanding of modern bank marketing and take-home fresh ideas and tactics on how to make their bank stand out in a sea of sameness.
Building Business Partnerships
Jack Hubbard (Elective)
Building Business Partnerships—Selling has changed radically since Eve completed the world’s first transaction with Adam. Over the years, the sales approach that seemed to generate the most traction was launched in 1968 when Xerox Corporation created an internal training process that became known as Needs Satisfaction Selling to combat fierce competition in the photocopying industry. This and the Consultative Selling model that began in 1970, worked very well for decades since the seller knew much more about their product than the buyer.
That all changed with the advent of the internet and social media. Today, the buyer has seized greater control of the process and the banker must be more prepared and better ready to execute than ever before. This is the era of Trust-Based Selling where the customer and the banker work collaboratively to develop and find a best-fit solution. Selling is no longer me versus you. In today’s competitive environment it’s you and me versus the problem.
This elective takes a cradle to leadership look at what it takes to build and sustain a business banking Performance Culture. You won’t go home with scripts and there is nothing to memorize. No manipulation or tricks. Todays “go to” bankers are Resource Managers who earn that title through respect, value creation and by providing new ideas that help businesses thrive. When they win, you win, the bank wins, and everyone succeeds.
Credit Analysis for Lenders
Ken B. Cyree (Elective)
Credit Analysis for Lenders is an advanced course designed for the student with commercial lending experience who has a working knowledge of accounting and ratio analysis. Emphasis will be placed on refining those techniques, which lead to sound commercial lending decisions and becoming a value-added lender. This includes analysis of ratio trends, working capital, cash flows, developing and using a cash budget, and other important elements in commercial lending operations.
Credit Analysis for Non-Lenders
Gary Higgins (Elective)
Credit Analysis for Non-Lenders is designed to assist less experienced lenders, and others with little or no formal commercial credit analysis training, to assess credit risk. Emphasis is given to the importance, methods, and limitations of various risk appraisal tools – including those associated with financial statements, ratios, and cash flows. Case studies are used to demonstrate how these tools are used and how they relate to specific loan requests. The lender’s viewpoint is stressed through the use of practical examples and interactive exercises.
Credit Risk Management
Gary Higgins (Elective)
Credit Risk Management introduces students to credit risk management in the lending function. Comprehensive credit risk management requires banks to identify and measure risks in the portfolio. Additionally, Banks must develop appropriate policies, procedures, systems and controls to manage and monitor risk and assure that they are working. Portfolio credit risk management is a tool to improve the predictability of portfolio credit quality during economic cycles.
JUNIORS SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Elective Selections:
Rural & Agricultural Lending | Negotiate to Win for Bankers | Recruiting & Retaining Employees | SBA Lending
JUNIORS SCHEDULE
WEEK 2
Elective Selections:
Commercial Real Estate Financing | Leading Through Innovation| Treasury Mgt. | Troubled Asset Resolution
JUNIOR COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Bank Regulatory Law
Carl J. Chaney (Required)
The Bank Regulatory Law course is designed to assist bankers in meeting the challenges of the rapidly changing regulatory environment. Topics include regulatory enforcement actions, mergers and acquisitions (including FDIC assisted deals), bank secrecy act, C.R.A., fair lending, bankruptcy, lender liability, and survival tactics for the new financial services industry. Attention is also given to current and proposed legislation as well as discussing the future of the financial services industry.
Evaluating Bank Financial Condition
Rhoshunda Kelly (Required)
The Evaluating Bank Financial Condition course introduces the methodology of assessing a bank’s financial safety and soundness through CAMELS analysis. The CAMELS discussion will also highlight the interrelatedness of these core areas of bank operations. Students will learn how the supervisory tool, the Uniform Bank Performance Report, is used in a bank’s financial health.
This course will briefly discuss the fundamentals of bank supervision and explain how the adequacy of CAMELS impacts regulatory compliance and the overall strength of banks. The course is intended provide students with a holistic view of bank operations and related risks, as well as prepare students for bank simulation in year three.
Managing Bank Performance
Paul S. Allen (Required)
Managing Bank Performance focuses on measuring and managing bank performance, using ratio and peer analysis. The course discussion will include an overview of a typical bank balance sheet and income statement, the definition and use of commonly used ratios, and will use case studies to illustrate how to evaluate bank performance. The concepts, analysis tools and strategies are intended to prepare students for the Bank Management Simulation course which is completed in the third year of the school.
Risk Management and Cybersecurity
Chad Tagtow (Required)
The Risk Management and Cybersecurity course is designed to equip bankers with the tools to recognize and manage risk in a rapidly evolving landscape. Banking is all about managing risk. Today’s banker needs to understand the unique risks and threats in today’s cyber-world due to rapid advances in technologies that are critically leveraged in every area of the bank.
This course will focus on the risk management process, performing a risk assessment, and identifying potential mitigating controls to reduce risk. Since risk exists in every area of the bank, properly managing risk is key to a bank’s success.
This course will also focus heavily on Cybersecurity and emerging risks. As the banking landscape changes due to the adoption of technology driven solutions, risk management grows increasingly important. Cybersecurity is often incorrectly classified as the responsibility of the Information Technology department. Cybersecurity is simply a specialized area of risk management, which is the responsibility of the bank’s management.
Commercial Real Estate Financing
Cal Evans (Elective)
Commercial Real Estate Financing focuses on the state of CRE (Commercial Real Estate) industry, the techniques used to analyze, finance, and structure real estate transactions, and the current regulatory environment. The course commences with an overview of the principles of property valuation, and quickly moves into coverage of multifamily, office, retail, industrial, and hotel underwriting and lending. CRE sector performance is discussed concurrently and is followed by a review of the current perspective of regulatory bodies on lending concentration issues and specific sector risks. The course ends with instruction on how to create a CRE market intelligence model for your own bank that can strengthen underwriting, identify lending opportunities, and satisfy the demands of regulatory entities.
Fundamentals of SBA Lending
Katherine Tohanczyn (Elective)
Fundamentals of SBA Lending and Understanding the SOP 50 10
This course explores critical program requirements set forth in the Small Business Administration’s SOP 50 10 to help lenders properly underwrite, originate, service and liquidate 7(a) guaranteed loans. Some areas of focus include: basic eligibility requirements, underwriting to 7(a) credit and collateral Standards, review of Loan Authorizations, overview of the guaranty purchase process and common reasons for denial of liability. The course will also include discussion of real-life cases to allow for a practical understanding of the SBA’s policies.
This course includes only minimal discussion related to 504 Loans, SBA Express, CAPLines and Export Loans.
Leading Through Innovation
Jason Henrichs (Elective)
Leading Through Innovation—Innovation. Digital Transformation. Cultural Change. Everyone nods their heads when these phrases are bandied about, but what do they really mean and more importantly how are they implemented.
Leading Through Innovation is an integrated course, combining theory and actionable steps, for students of innovation in all stages of their innovation journey. The course begins with an introduction to strategy and why the 5-year strategic plan is dead. We swiftly move to alternating modules of innovation best practices and hands on developing your own innovation practice. Whether you manage a team, a department or are team of one, these exercises will change how you approach your job, up your productivity and magnify your impact.
Negotiate to Win for Bankers
James C. Thomas, Jr. (Elective)
Negotiate to Win for Bankers – Your effectiveness at most of the things you do – whether its bargaining with customers over rates or structure, supporting credits through the approval process, dealing with staff performance problems, sorting out compliance issues with regulators, or simply managing everyday differences with colleagues, clients, friends, and significant others – will to a large degree be determined by how well you negotiate.
Mix in some of our industry’s big trends – commoditization and oversupply (translation: increasingly brutal competition), customers who feel more powerful, less loyal, and more inclined to negotiate with bankers than ever before, and a major emphasis on improved earnings – and the conclusion is inescapable: it’s time to improve your negotiating skills.
This course will teach you the very latest negotiating best practices. Just as importantly, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of how and why they work, along with the discipline, focus, and confidence to put them to immediate, profitable use.
Recruiting and Retaining the Right Employees
Mark Faircloth (Elective)
Recruiting and Retaining the Right Employees—In a series of real-life cases, this course presents specific steps and skills which help managers to be effective in attracting and keeping talented employees. Bankers will learn how to better understand and apply successful interviewing questions, goal setting steps, team dynamics, group communication and individual coaching to a series of actual bank situations. Special attention is given to talent sourcing, under-performing employees/departments, individual motivation and career path development.
Rural & Agricultural Business Lending
David M. Kohl (Elective)
Rural & Agricultural Business Lending examines the domestic and global megatrends that impact credit risk and business development opportunities in your rural and agricultural enterprise businesses. Consumer and population trends, rural and agricultural structure, real estate values and intergenerational business transfer is emphasized. The course examines actual small business enterprise cases including underwriting benchmarks, best management practices, common denominators of problem credit, and credit scoring systems applications, including the ten golden rules for operating small business enterprises.
Treasury Management
Mark J. Krawczyk (Elective)
Treasury Management – Understanding what treasury management is – and how to be intelligent about and provide appropriate treasury management products/services to your customers can have a direct impact to the “bottom line.” Your customer’s treasury management operations deal with regulatory and oversight issues, treasury management products/services and short-term borrowing and investment practices and instruments. Understanding what treasury management is and your customer’s service and product needs in this area can play a key role in determining how competitive (translated: “profitable”) your bank can be in the treasury management marketplace. The focus of this course is to see YOUR role as a banker (as well as YOUR bank’s treasury management services/products) from the CUSTOMER’S perspective.
Troubled Asset Resolution
J. Michael Allen (Elective)
Troubled Asset Resolution – In the past few years, bankers have experienced and are experiencing a period of unprecedented economic challenge. Asset quality and loan performance metrics have improved for most. But, as competition once again begins to get “frothy,” these improvements will be tested. Capital preservation and liquidity are more precious to bankers today than ever before in our modern time. Virtually all markets are affected. These challenges are of a depth and breadth few have seen—let alone have experience at handling. While asset quality trends are improving for the industry, many banks continue to battle troubled borrowers and are desirous of avoiding a “repeat of the past.” Problem loans are a new reality for some. How will your portfolio respond to continued pressure? Are your internal management practices and board activities where they need to be? How has this environment affected your relationship with your regulatory agencies? This course is designed to provide some assistance, guidance and provoke thought as to how you handle loan performance challenges in your shop and be positioned to effectively manage the next generation of problem loans that might possibly already reside on your balance sheet.
SENIORS SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Elective Selections:
Negotiate to Win for Bankers | Recruiting & Retaining Employees | Rural & Agricultural Lending | SBA Lending
SENIORS SCHEDULE
WEEK 2
Bank Management Simulation
Ernest W. Swift (Required)
Bank Management Simulation utilizes a computer-based learning exercise designed to give participants an overview of the bank management decision-making process. Students develop strategies for the management of functional bank areas, with specific emphasis on planning and decision-making in areas such as loans, deposits, investments, funds management, asset/liability management, risk management, etc. The primary focus is on profitability and growth, but attention also is directed to marketing, the pricing of bank services—both current and future, and the management of risk.
The senior class is divided into teams, with each team effectively managing an $800 million dollar bank. The computer model allows students to make decisions, to receive quick feedback on the effectiveness of their decisions, and then to make new decisions which adjust bank operations to compensate for a large number of internal and external forces including competition, the economy, and regulatory constraints. Within a two-week period, simulation teams experience the equivalent of two years of bank operations.
The course is supervised by qualified instructors who have extensive real-world banking experience as CEOs, presidents, or examiners. The computer model, (BMSim) or Bank Management Simulation, was developed by the ABA and currently is maintained by a consortium of regional banking schools.
Banking on Leadership
Rita Floyd (Required)
Banking on Leadership – This course is designed to instruct bankers on the importance of being effective leaders inside and outside their organizations by touching on various topics to include ethical leadership, effective communication, positive impact, performance coaching, dealing with conflict and being good stewards in the community.
Interpreting Economic Change
David M. Kohl and Thomas H. Payne (Required)
Interpreting Economic Change – Commercial bankers must interpret domestic and global change and adjust to changing business conditions in all aspects of banking practice. Interpreting Economic Change provides participants with the practical knowledge and basic tools needed to assess the overall economy and its effect on institutional risk and financial performance. Special attention is given to economic and “megatrend” indicators that drive bankers’ decision making and strategic planning processes. With a focus on relevant tools and applications, this interactive course provides a practical overview of the causes and implications of interest rate, workforce productivity, fiscal and monetary policy, exchange rate, global risk, societal, and political change.
Leadership in Times of Change
Stephen R. Robichaux (Required)
Leadership in Times of Change – The banking industry is in the spotlight and Leadership in Times of Change engages the participants in an interactive learning process aimed at leading through the current crisis. Leadership theories that have dominated our thinking and practice for the last century are presented and summarized into a relevant whole that provides a firm foundation for today’s leaders. Leadership styles are presented and assessed, and leadership levels are linked to effectiveness in today’s tough markets. Exercises and tools for leading organizational change are presented to help leaders succeed in today’s complex organizations and business environment. A model for personal leadership development is presented for participants to continue their life-long process of growth.
Commercial Real Estate Financing
Cal Evans (Elective)
Commercial Real Estate Financing focuses on the state of CRE (Commercial Real Estate) industry, the techniques used to analyze, finance, and structure real estate transactions, and the current regulatory environment. The course commences with an overview of the principles of property valuation, and quickly moves into coverage of multifamily, office, retail, industrial, and hotel underwriting and lending. CRE sector performance is discussed concurrently and is followed by a review of the current perspective of regulatory bodies on lending concentration issues and specific sector risks. The course end with instruction on how to create a CRE market intelligence model for your own bank that can strengthen underwriting, identify lending opportunities, and satisfy the demands of regulatory entities.
Fundamentals of SBA Lending
Katherine Tohanczyn (Elective)
Fundamentals of SBA Lending and Understanding the SOP 50 10
This course explores critical program requirements set forth in the Small Business Administration’s SOP 50 10 to help lenders properly underwrite, originate, service and liquidate 7(a) guaranteed loans. Some areas of focus include: basic eligibility requirements, underwriting to 7(a) credit and collateral Standards, review of Loan Authorizations, overview of the guaranty purchase process and common reasons for denial of liability. The course will also include discussion of real-life cases to allow for a practical understanding of the SBA’s policies.
This course includes only minimal discussion related to 504 Loans, SBA Express, CAPLines and Export Loans.
Negotiate to Win for Bankers
James C. Thomas, Jr. (Elective)
Negotiate to Win for Bankers – Your effectiveness at most of the things you do – whether its bargaining with customers over rates or structure, supporting credits through the approval process, dealing with staff performance problems, sorting out compliance issues with regulators, or simply managing everyday differences with colleagues, clients, friends, and significant others – will to a large degree be determined by how well you negotiate.
Mix in some of our industry’s big trends – commoditization and oversupply (translation: increasingly brutal competition), customers who feel more powerful, less loyal, and more inclined to negotiate with bankers than ever before, and a major emphasis on improved earnings – and the conclusion is inescapable: it’s time to improve your negotiating skills.
This course will teach you the very latest negotiating best practices. Just as importantly, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of how and why they work, along with the discipline, focus, and confidence to put them to immediate, profitable use.
Recruiting and Retaining the Right Employees
Mark Faircloth (Elective)
Recruiting and Retaining the Right Employees – In a series of real-life cases, this course presents specific steps and skills which help managers to be effective in attracting and keeping talented employees. Bankers will learn how to better understand and apply successful interviewing questions, goal setting steps, team dynamics, group communication and individual coaching to a series of actual bank situations. Special attention is given to talent sourcing, under-performing employees/departments, individual motivation and career path development.
Rural and Agricultural Business Lending
David M. Kohl (Elective)
Rural and Agricultural Business Lending examines the domestic and global megatrends that impact credit risk and business development opportunities in your rural and agricultural enterprise businesses. Consumer and population trends, rural and agricultural structure, real estate values and intergenerational business transfer is emphasized. The course examines actual small business enterprise cases including underwriting benchmarks, best management practices, common denominators of problem credit, and credit scoring systems applications, including the ten golden rules for operating small business enterprises.
Troubled Asset Resolution
J. Michael Allen (Elective)
Troubled Asset Resolution – In the past few years, bankers have experienced and are experiencing a period of unprecedented economic challenge. Asset quality and loan performance metrics have improved for most. But, as competition once again begins to get “frothy,” these improvements will be tested. Capital preservation and liquidity are more precious to bankers today than ever before in our modern time. Virtually all markets are affected. These challenges are of a depth and breadth few have seen—let alone have experience at handling. While asset quality trends are improving for the industry, many banks continue to battle troubled borrowers and are desirous of avoiding a “repeat of the past.” Problem loans are a new reality for some. How will your portfolio respond to continued pressure? Are your internal management practices and board activities where they need to be? How has this environment affected your relationship with your regulatory agencies? Troubled Asset Resolution is designed to provide some assistance, guidance and provoke thought as to how you handle loan performance challenges in your shop and be positioned to effectively manage the next generation of problem loans that might possibly already reside on your balance sheet.