CU professionals recognized for outstanding white papers
July 7, 2021— The Southeast Regional Credit Union Schools (SRCUS) organization is pleased to announce that two student groups have been recognized for outstanding white papers during the 2021 session of the Southeast CUNA Management School, which was held June 7 – 11, 2021.
The honor of “Excellence in 3rd Year White Paper” was awarded to Bridget Griffin, Enrichment FCU (Oak Ridge, TN); Tracey Linder, Purdue FCU (West Lafayette, IN); Gretchen Lino, IBM Southeast Employees CU (Marietta, GA); and Stacie Reed, IBM Southeast Employees CU (Marietta, GA) for their research on “Voice Banking Technologies”. With such a dramatic increase in consumer usage of voice technology, their study of how this technology can be implemented by credit unions provided a timely and thorough overview of the development of voice banking technology, security and privacy concerns, the member experience, and research on current financial institutions usage of voice technologies. The white paper detailed recommendations for credit unions to consider as they move forward with implementation of voice banking technology, including conducting focus groups, ensuring sound project management, providing training for employees, and deploying the new technology to members. The group concluded that “voice banking technology is here to stay” and recommended that “credit unions need to implement these new technologies into the products and services offered to members” in order to remain in the forefront.
The honor of “Best 3rd Year White Paper Presentation” was awarded to Margie Burton, Associated Credit Union (Norcross, GA); Lisa Cox, CORE Credit Union (Statesboro, GA); Amber Crisp, Anderson FCU (Anderson, SC); and Crow Hunter, Peach State FCU (Lawrenceville, GA) for their presentation on employee engagement. Credit unions’ primary focus is on the betterment of members, but it is important that credit unions ensure that employees remain engaged and satisfied with their credit union’s culture so that they can continue to provide the best possible member experience. Based on the white paper written by the group, “Happy Employees, Happy Members: Improving Employee Engagement to Perfect the Member Experience”, the group’s presentation detailed the importance of having an actively engaged workforce and how this translates into an even better member experience. In addition to highlighting credit union success stories, the group provided sound recommendations that will help guide credit unions as they work to transform the culture of their organization and improve employee engagement.
The purpose of the Southeast CUNA Management School is to prepare each student for a successful career of leadership in the credit union movement. To help meet this objective, students must complete a white paper research project prior to returning for their third year of the program. The white paper project requires students to form teams of two to four students that will work together to identify their topic of choice. The teams must involve students from at least two different credit unions to promote greater opportunities for collaboration and problem solving across credit unions. The purpose of this project is to present current research, analyses, and proposed solutions for an issue affecting the credit union industry or an opportunity/decision that many credit unions are currently facing or will face in the future. The papers are submitted prior to school for grading and students must earn a passing score. Additionally, students are required to present their papers to their peers during the school’s program.
Since 1970, the SRCUS Southeast CUNA Management School has equipped graduates with the skills and knowledge to meet the leadership challenges that arise in the credit union industry. The curriculum develops students’ operational, managerial and leadership abilities as they receive advanced academic instruction on a variety of topics including management, leadership, and financial analysis. Students also apply the knowledge gained from the on-site sessions to projects that require strategic analysis of their credit unions and research of relevant issues facing the credit union industry.
Graduation from the Southeast CUNA Management School is recognized throughout the credit union industry as a prestigious mark of achievement. Upon successful completion of the program, students received a graduation diploma issued in conjunction with the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education. For more information on the Southeast CUNA Management School, visit www.srcus.org/management.
###
About SRCUS: Southeast Regional Credit Union Schools (SRCUS) is a collaboration of seven southeastern credit union leagues, including the Carolinas Credit Union League, Kentucky Credit Union League, League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates, Louisiana Credit Union League, Mississippi Credit Union Association, Tennessee Credit Union League, and Virginia Credit Union League. Through collaboration with CUNA and Affiliates, the first SRCUS Management School was established in 1970. In addition to the management school, SRCUS also hosts an annual Director’s Conference, which provides a full range of informative educational sessions about critical issues important to today’s ever-changing financial industry for credit union directors and committee members. For more information, visit www.srcus.org.
###
Media Contacts:
Lauren DeAngelis, Advisory Committee Chair
Southeast Regional Credit Union Schools
Phone 919.457.9059
Email ldeangelis@carolinasleague.org
Jennifer Green, PR Coordinator
Southeast Regional Credit Union Schools
Phone 504.232.1720
Email jgreen@srcus.org