Steuck Graduates from Graduate School of Banking at Colorado

Rivers Edge Bank is excited to announce that Lance Steuck, Hawarden Market President, recently graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) in July 2023.  The school consists of three years of annual 2-week long sessions with projects and papers to be completed in between.  Held at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, the intent of the school is to broaden bankers’ knowledge of the banking industry, specifically with a focus on community banking. 

At GSBC, classes and sessions covered many of the challenges faced by the industry such as regulatory issues, loan management, innovation, and company culture.  Other programs Steuck took part in included a “Signals Group,” which was a group of students who researched technologies that may impact the future of banking, and a bank simulation, where groups of students work together to manage a simulated bank and compete against other groups.  These are some of the many ways where GSBC applies banking concepts to the reality of the industry. 

The following are questions presented to Steuck about his time at GSBC and how he reflected about his experience:

Q:  What was your favorite part of the program?

Steuck: My favorite part of the school was the Bank Simulation because you can try things that you maybe wouldn’t in a normal bank circumstance and see the outcomes without having the consequence of losing real profit.  I also enjoyed the Signals Group and getting to know a lot of bankers and bank examiners through the country, getting to know what’s going on in their area.

Q:  How has the GSBC enhanced your career and leadership development?

Steuck: It has definitely broadened my knowledge on the back end of things that make a bank run.  It allowed me to see things and take time to understand the “why” behind what we are doing and give me a better understanding of the reports I have been exposed to. The papers that I wrote were about Rivers Edge Bank so it forced me to gain a better understanding of where we are as well.

Q:  What was the most challenging part of the program?

Steuck: With your day-to-day life still going on as normal, it is a time commitment not just for the two weeks you are at school, but also for the time in between when you are researching and writing papers.  There are still flag-football games, concerts and events that go on as usual.  Luckily, I have a super supportive wife who took on extra duties to allow me time at nights to complete things and take care of things while I was gone for the two-week periods as well!

Q:  What are some takeaways from the program that you plan to implement with your position at the bank?

Steuck: Rivers Edge has done a good job of allowing me to get exposure to different areas and I appreciate them allowing me to take another step in sending me to this school.  I think what the school has done is help me to understand some of the things to which I have been exposed; areas that I don’t deal with on the operations and funding side of the bank in my role as a Lender.  There were also a few leadership things I picked up from the different classes that I have already tried to implement in my role as Market President.  Things that just help you better understand what your team members may be thinking and how to address and encourage them.

Steuck was part of the group of 166 banking professionals Completing their final year of the GSBC this year.  The school awarded these individuals with its prestigious diploma in banking on July 27, 2023, during a graduation ceremony in Boulder.  Please help Rivers Edge Bank congratulate Lance on this significant achievement and on a job well done!