The SW Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) at Southern Methodist University (SMU) Cox School of Business has released details on its 67th Annual Session, scheduled for May 28–June 7, 2024, in Dallas. SWGSB prepares future leaders in the banking industry for greater responsibilities with peer networking, team-building experiences, living case studies, a tailored curriculum and an exceptional student-faculty ratio.
Emerging leaders and experienced financial professionals—including regional presidents, commercial loan officers, branch managers, credit analysts, cashiers, mortgage lenders, consumer lenders, operations officers, and state and federal regulators—gather each summer on SMU’s campus for a nine-day leadership development program that propels careers in the financial services industry. From essential core elements to the latest management strategies, SWGSB is a collaborative style of learning that empowers you to gain mastery of leadership with sessions in three consecutive years. This proven approach is transformative, hands-on executive education at the graduate level that’s exceptional, engaging and elevating.
—Susan Marshall, Bank Commissioner, Arkansas State Bank Department
The Learning Pyramid
SWGSB’s curriculum, designed by leading experts in the field, centers on a distinct learning pyramid. Core requirements form the foundation, followed by case studies and management exercises designed to strengthen decision-making and leadership skills. You customize the SWGSB program with your elective choices that reflect your interests and the state of the industry. Peak performance is the capstone.
The program is divided into three levels of curricula. The first-year curriculum is focused on problem-solving skills. The indispensable tools needed to measure performance, evaluate risk and manage the organization are emphasized. The first resident year lays the foundation for the overall program.
During the second-year curriculum, the emphasis is on management and leadership of various functions, departments, products and the overall bank. In addition, the curriculum focuses on the macro environment and the impact this has on the industry and the future of your organization. Students begin to tailor the program with their choice of career-enhancing electives.
Jill Castilla, chair of the SWGSB Foundation board of trustees and president and CEO Citizens Bank of Edmond in Edmond, Oklahoma, talks with Jelena McWilliams, former FDIC chair and current partner at the law firm Cravath, during a SWGSB session. The third-year curriculum year focuses on mastering strategic planning and visioning skills and culminates in building a strategic outline in a Living Case Study. Faculty members guide participants to the development of strategic solutions to problems and issues facing the industry.
Following the first and second years, intersession assignments focus on applying the SWGSB curriculum to your institution.
BankCEO is incorporated into the junior and senior sessions. BankCEO is SWGSB’s proprietary bank simulation technology developed exclusively for SWGSB participants. This custom learning microcosm provides a vastly superior approach to acquiring bank management expertise. SWGSB has modernized bank simulation with interactive screens, test runs, instant results and displays that compare teams using various criteria and statistics. BankCEO offers participants unparalleled insights. This unique learning experience distills years of bank management down to a series of well-focused decisions and applications. The web-based program allows you to interact with and learn from peers, in or out of the classroom.
Students will also participate in SWGSB’s Living Case Study, which provides a rare opportunity to analyze and study a real-world bank, propose changes and interact with top management. This highly effective teaching method is only found at SWGSB. Each year, a new Living Case Study examines a bank and its most creative ideas—guided by your personal input and responses. It’s a powerful way to test-drive your education by learning firsthand about leading a financial institution in the 21st century.
