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Judge/Bradley Institute celebrates 45 years of educating credit union leaders By Celena E. Kusch
Postgraduate students engage in teambuilding exercises at the Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center at Penn State. These adventure exercises were part of this year’s Judge/Bradley Credit Union Institute. Participants learned to build trust, increase cooperation and how to consolidate creative and productive teams to accomplish credit union goals. “For almost 45 years, this program has offered attendees the most concentrated credit union movement education available.” —James J. McCormack Dr. Samuel C. DeWald, associate professor of management development at Penn State, has been involved with the Judge/Bradley Credit Union Institute for 28 years. During his session on "Credit Unions in Today’s Economy," he presented the history of credit unions through an animated dialogue relating the past to the present. Micheal Dougal, human resource specialist for Pennsylvania Credit Union League Services Inc., conducted the first general session of the Judge/Bradley Credit Union Institute at Penn State. In his presentation on “Human Resource Trends and the Future of the Movement,” he offered participants practical strategies for attracting top talent, retaining valued employees, preemployment legal issues, career planning and alternatives to traditional employment arrangements. To place those strategies in context, his session began with a profile of the existing intergenerational workforce. “Today, our workforce spans three generations, but many employers have not examined the challenges this intergenerational climate creates in the workplace,” he said.	The history of credit unions begins in the 1840s. Cooperative enterprises were springing up all over as people pooled resources for community benefit. This led to the growth of credit unions, as well.   “One of the missions of the early credit unions was self-help,” explained Dr. Samuel C. DeWald, associate professor of management development at Penn State. “Society felt that they owed it to one another to help each other, and credit unions offered a way for the middle and lower classes to obtain credit.” Today’s financial climate has changed considerably since then, leading to the need for continuous training in all areas of credit union management, he added.   Despite growing competition for credit unions, Pennsylvania has the highest number of credit unions in the country. More than 95 percent of the 867 institutions are members of the Pennsylvania Credit Union League, a credit union association that provides resources and services throughout the Commonwealth. Those services include legislative advocacy, operational information and support and a number of education and training programs, including the Judge/Bradley Credit Union Institute.   The Judge/Bradley Credit Union Institute is sponsored annually by The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State, Management Development Programs and Services, Continuing Education and the Pennsylvania Credit Union League. The summer 1999 program was held at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.   The institute, which celebrated its 45th anniversary in 1999, is Management Development Programs and Services’ longest-running program.   DeWald, who has taught in the institute for nearly three decades, said, “Over the years, we have seen real change in both the status and structure of credit unions—particularly in the past five years. Each year, the institute has adapted to meet the current challenges and opportunities facing credit unions.”   According to DeWald, the greatest challenges for credit unions in the coming decade are increased competition from brokerage firms, insurance companies and other nontraditional sources now offering financial services; increased regulation; technological underdevelopment due to a lack of capital resources; and a loss of the community credit union.   Through professional education, the institute helps credit union leaders take action to keep pace with changes like the digital revolution and other revolutions still down the road, DeWald said.   The Judge/Bradley Institute was first offered at Penn State in August 1955, under the name of the Pennsylvania Credit Union Institute. The impetus for this program came largely from Penn State’s School of Business Administration. The mission was to provide education to promote credit union leadership and growth and to reinvigorate Pennsylvania’s credit unions in the wake of the World War II decline in credit union membership and changes in leadership.   Today, the institute has been renamed in honor of Michael J. Judge, former president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union League and one of the first students to graduate from the institute, and Penn State’s Dr. Joseph F. Bradley, who provided instruction at the first institute as an associate professor of finance. Since its first offering, the institute has attracted growing numbers of Penn State faculty and credit union leaders to deliver the annual educational program to generations of credit union leadership.   University faculty members join with representatives from the credit union movement to stimulate thought and provide up-to-date information and instruction. This year’s faculty included Dr. John Miles, professor of finance, DeWald and Drs. Don Turner, Al Mastantuono and Mike Gerfin, assistant professors of management development. More than half of Management Development Programs and Services’ faculty members provided instruction for this year’s institute.   The 45th anniversary institute attracted 59 participants from Pennsylvania and other northeastern states. They represented credit unions ranging in size from a church-based institution with 140 members and an all-volunteer staff to Telco’s 77,000 members and more than 100 paid staff statewide. Participants included tellers, supervisors, volunteers and board members.   “Our participants are not always working in management when they attend the institute, but league members believe it is important to deepen their understanding of credit unions if they are to become future leaders of the industry. The credit unions expect many of these participants to move into management in the coming years,” DeWald said.   During the institute, participants worked with University and industry experts to learn the latest approaches to credit union management through the use of group discussion, case studies, lectures and practice with actual business situations. Courses covered the role of credit unions in the economy of the past, present and future; principles and techniques of personal financial counseling; member communications and member relations; budgeting; sexual harassment law and policy; strategies for Internet use; effective board relations; and a number of leadership and management development courses.   “By combining an academic atmosphere with the opportunity to network with credit union colleagues, the institute fosters a better understanding of the economic niche credit unions fill, the volunteers and employees who operate them and the individuals who look to credit unions for their financial needs,” DeWald added.   “We’re very proud of the Judge/Bradley Institute,” James J. McCormack, president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Credit Union League, said. “For almost 45 years, this program has offered attendees the most concentrated credit union movement education available. Everyone involved is dedicated to the movement. The professors are top-notch—they know credit union history and provide attendees with insight into the future. The enthusiastic interaction among the professors and attendees is inspiring.”   For more information about Management Development Programs and Services, visit its Web site at www.outreach.psu.edu/ManagementDevelopment. An outreach program of The Smeal College of Business Administration