Citizen Bank Gift Will Enhance KSCs Small Business Institute
KEENE, N.H. 9/6/01 - A new partnership between Keene State College and Citizens Bank will enable the College’s Small Business Institute (SBI) to expand its service to businesses in the Monadnock region.
Citizens Bank, one of New Hampshire’s leading financial institutions, has given the Institute $5,000 to improve its technological resources, appoint an advisory board, provide more students with the opportunity to participate in the program, and increase the number of business clients served annually.
“Working together, Keene State College and Citizens Bank can make an important contribution to the community,” said Stanley J. Yarosewick, president of Keene State. “We will enhance resources for small businesses and, at the same time, provide new opportunities for our students.”
“We are proud to partner with Keene State College to provide such a vital resource to area small businesses,” said Kim Meader, chairman and president of Citizens Bank New Hampshire.
The Small Business Institute program is the honors capstone course of KSC’s Department of Management. The department typically selects 12 management majors each year to participate in the SBI program. The students are divided into teams of four; each team undertakes a major case study of a local business or nonprofit organization, with the goal of providing the organization with management recommendations.
The Institute intends to use the gift to expand its service from working with three businesses a year to four or five, add other academic disciplines to the student teams, form an advisory board, and replace outdated technology which students use for presentations to their clients.
Neal Pruchansky, director of the Institute, said that he is pleased that Citizens Bank is willing to support the Institute’s activities and is helping it to develop ties with the business community. According to Pruchansky, David Grady, assistant manager at the Keene branch, has agreed to join the new advisory board, that will serve to help the Institute reach small businesses that can benefit from its services.
KSC’s Small Business Institute is one of the leading SBI programs in the nation. Institute students have won more than 30 district and regional case study competitions and in 1997 won the National Case Competition Championship.
For more information, contact Neal Pruchansky, professor of management at KSC, at 603-358-2624; or Kathleen Reardon, Citizens Bank assistant vice president of public affairs and community relations, at 603-634-7232.
