CailinMost credit union leaders understand the benefits of the Southeast CUNA Management School, the premier learning opportunity for credit union professionals in the southeast. But can your credit union really afford spend a few thousand to send its best and brightest to school one week a year for three years?
Maureen Bock, senior director of education at the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates, graduated from SRCUS in June 2017. She said that’s the wrong question. Instead credit union leaders should be asking: can we afford not to?
“It’s definitely a commitment,” said Maureen Bock, senior director of education at the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates, who graduated from SRCUS in June 2017. “The courses do cost money and students need to be ready to spend time working on them. But if credit union leaders are looking at the money and thinking these courses are too expensive, they need to quit looking at it as an expense — and begin looking at it as an investment in their people.”
Maureen said she considered the former Georgia league’s decision to send her to SRCUS as a gift she was honored to receive. She said she learned in depth about credit union financials, marketing, human resources issues/laws, how to make decisions that can impact the bottom line and how to be a better leader and team member.
Of course, SRCUS is hard work; there’s no way around that. Bock said she spent hours outside work to finish extensive projects. That’s not including the hours she spent in the classroom. But she said she never minded.
That’s a common feeling among credit union employees selected for this opportunity. Britney Bailey, director of marketing at Growth By Design — the full-service marketing firm owned by the League, finished her first year of SRCUS in June. And, more recently, she’s been putting in intense work on the required project due between the first and second year of classes.
“It’s been difficult,” Britney said. “I’ve been learning to focus in on the inner-workings of a credit union and to understand what the numbers say about that institution. It’s definitely been challenging — but I’m so thankful to have this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding into the industry in which I love working.”
She said she recommends credit union executives invest in their emerging leaders by enrolling them in the program.
“I truly feel like I’m being trained as a future leader in the industry,” Britney said. “The courses teach not only how to manage the business, but how to develop strong relationships with team members as well. You leave feeling prepared to run your credit union.”
Registration for the 2020 session of the Southeast CUNA Management School is now open. The school will be held from June 5 until June 12 at the University of Georgia Hotel and Conference Center. Tuition costs $2,145 if paid on or before April 2. Click here for more information or to register.
