M&T Bank provides grant to GSC’s college leadership program

M&T Charitable Foundation, through Jon Sherwell who is commercial regional vice president of M&T Bank, presented a check to the GSC Foundation recently as the major sponsor of the organization’s new college leadership awards program. GSC Foundation Pres. Jim Thomas and Greater Salisbury Committee Chair John Allen accepted the check

The program recognizes outstanding community leadership among college students at the three area higher education institutions including Salisbury University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and WorWic Community College. Others providing funding for the program included the foundations of Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

“The key to a thriving community is strong leadership, and organizations like the GSC Foundation, are fundamental in developing the leaders of the future,” said Jon Sherwell, commercial regional vice president of M&T Bank. “This is why M&T Bank is proud to support the development of student leaders in the Greater Salisbury area by providing needed scholarship funding. Without funding from its partners, the GSC Foundation would not be able to serve as a catalyst of opportunity for our promising leaders in our local college and university level.”

T. Jan Wiseman, president and CEO of the Greater Salisbury Community, said the program will recognize that many higher education students are already choosing to help make their community a better place to live and that this recognition will encourage others to do so in the future. He added, “Our community leadership comes from many individuals who together can build a great community.”

GSC has a long history of developing leadership in the community including the development of the Academy for Leadership in Education with Salisbury University, the Civic and Governmental Leadership Academy, the Community Leaders Workshop, the O.U.R. Program (Organize, Unite, and Revitalize), and others.

Currently, students at each institution are in the process of competing for the award with the final judging taking place in late February or early March. The top three finalists for each school will be forwarded for final judging. The award winner for each university or college will be announced at the Greater Salisbury Committee Banquet in late April. The campus coordinators are Robert Sheehan at Salisbury University, William Woods at UMES, and Katherine Jones at WorWic Community College.

Identification on the accompanying photo: Jon Sherwell, commercial regional vice president of M&T Bank; Jim Thomas, president of the GSC Foundation; and John Allen, chair of the Greater Salisbury Committee.