Hoosier Banker 7 Also, German American Bank currently is working with the University of Evansville (UE) and the University of Southern Indiana on a program through which GAB bankers visit the campus to speak to business classes. Also, in November the IBA and UE are hosting a panel that will include participants from several IBA-member banks in southwest Indiana, to help students understand career opportunities available within the banking industry. IBA will continue to work to create a banking major in Indiana and to make internships a reality for more of our banking community. It is essential to look toward the future to ensure that we have a steady stream of talent coming into banking. Our industry depends on it and, by building our workforce, we encourage the best and brightest to stay in-state and build the vibrancy of Indiana. For me, it’s a personal mission. I am fortunate to be part of a banking environment where succession planning and skills development are deeply embedded in the culture. Even more, I have always found banking to be a gratifying career, and I am confident that top talent that comes into this profession will find it equally rewarding. Thank you again for allowing me to serve as 2018 IBA chairman. I have enjoyed the experience immensely. HB NOTABLE QUOTES Bank Community Service on Twitter Old National Bank, Evansville • @Old_National • Aug. 25 “What a night for @BgcEvansville–#100MenWhoCook raised $226,000 to help young people in our community. Thank you to the guests, chefs and everyone who help make this night a big success!” 1st Source Bank, South Bend • @1stSourceBank • Aug. 28 “The sun is hot, but the progress isn’t slowing down! The 1st Source team is working hard at the #habitatcwp site. Thank you to all the amazing volunteers making such a big difference for these families!” Farmers and Merchants Bank, Laotto • @F_M1914 • Sept. 6 “Open a New Checking account at F&M Bank from September 8th through October 19th and along with your FREE gift you will get to pick a blanket to be donated to the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission.” The Farmers Bank, Frankfort • @Mybankforlife • Sept. 7 “The Farmers Bank is in its fifth year of working with the Community Schools of Frankfort Reading Champions program. The success of the program has been documented in improved scores on the state’s I-Read test. https://vimeo.com/273566575” STAR Bank, Fort Wayne • @STARFinancial • Sept. 26 “STAR Bank partnered with @Phoenix_Theatre Indianapolis to secure funding to build a new state of the art facility. Watch the video to hear their story: http://www.starfinancial.com/startalk” Follow IBA Twitter: @indianabankers Twitter Clay W. Ewing Chairman Indiana Bankers Association President, Chief Banking Officer and Secretary to the Board of Directors German American Bank, Jasper CHAIRMAN’S REPORT This column marks my final Chairman’s Report to IBA members. The year has flown by, and I’d like to thank you all for your support and encouragement as we’ve worked together to help the IBA move forward. Last year, when I accepted the IBA leadership gavel, I announced two goals I hoped to accomplish. Both are in support of the “Next-Gen Bankers” pillar of the strategic plan, which addresses much-needed succession issues. The first goal was to establish an internship program to help bring students into banks and instill interest in banking as a profession. Many bankers first came into the industry because of positive internship experiences. The dilemma is that not all banks have the resources to set up internships. Additionally, even if they could manage to bring students in, having an intern on board is only the first step. In order for the internship to be a success, meaningful programming needs to be in place. To achieve this first goal, the IBA has launched the Indiana Banking Internship Program. Through this initiative, the IBA acts as a liaison between member banks and Indiana colleges/universities to attract quality students to bank internships. The program additionally provides guidance to banks on how to structure and format the internship experience. The IBA has contacted bank leaders throughout the state with an invitation to participate in the inaugural Indiana Banking Internship Program, with students scheduled to be in place in the summer of 2019. This program is your tool, designed to be useful whether you seek to start an internship program, or you would like assistance with already existing internships. Dovetailing with the Indiana Banking Internship Program is my other chairmanship goal, which is to establish a banking major in Indiana. Currently many Indiana colleges and universities have related components in place, but the effort to synthesize the pieces into a banking major has never been undertaken. Creating a banking major is a long-term process, as it is essential to meet the needs of our academic partners, which take time to fulfill. However, progress has been made. IBA representatives have had multiple conversations with university leaders throughout the state, our dialogue has been encouraging, and a foundation of mutual interest has been set. Additionally, we have done some specific reach-out to universities to forge links between banking and university environments. At the IBA Annual Convention in September, we hosted a contingent of business students and a professor from the University of Evansville to attend the convention, as a welcome to Indiana banking.
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