Rollins College Crummer Graduate School Receives $25,000 Gift from SunTrust

SunTrust has made a $25,000 gift to Rollins College to fund programs in arts and sciences and at the Crummer Graduate School of Business. The majority of the gift will sponsor the SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit Award in the Crummer School’s Center for Leadership Development.

The SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit Award will recognize one full-time MBA student who has demonstrated academic excellence and has participated in a variety of extracurricular activities designed to foster the development of ethical and responsible leadership skills. Students who apply for the SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit Award will be required to complete several behavioral assessments, attend a variety of leadership events and complete a first-year course in leadership communication and a second-year leadership course. Applicants must present a written Leadership Development Plan and make an oral presentation to a select committee of local business leaders. The SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit Award recipient will be recognized during a special luncheon in the spring and will receive the award during the Crummer School’s commencement in April 2006.

“The development and fine-tuning of leadership skills is a critical component to success in business,” states Thomas Kuntz, chairman, president and chief executive officer of SunTrust Bank Florida. “SunTrust is extremely honored to support the Crummer Graduate School in its mission to equip tomorrow’s business leaders not only with practical skills, but also with the full complement of skills they will need to be truly successful.”

Since the late 1980s, the Crummer School has incorporated courses in ethics and leadership into their MBA curriculum. The Crummer School Center for Leadership Development was founded in 2003 to enhance the curriculum and to provide the students additional opportunities to practice and develop leadership skills to better understand the role of leaders in effective organizations.

“Leadership is a skill that can be developed through self awareness, coaching and practical experiences. The Crummer School is one of a select group of graduate business programs that have a focus on leadership development, providing students with an exceptional educational value,” said Dr. Susan Bach, executive director of the Crummer School’s Center for Leadership Development.

A long-time corporate supporter of the Crummer School, SunTrust previously funded a student investment fund and the construction of the SunTrust Auditorium, in Crummer Hall.

SunTrust Bank Florida is based in Orlando led by Thomas Kuntz (a Rollins alumni) as chairman, president and chief executive officer. Originally founded in Orlando in 1934, SunTrust’s Florida network has 431 offices, 910 ATMs and 9,700 employees, from Pensacola to Miami.