POWERFUL.

 

Our History

PCBS was established in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s to better equip young banking officers with the skills they would need to anticipate and respond to the changing industry and support its successful future. PCBS has attracted high-potential students since the first class attended the school in 1938.

Through a joint venture of local supporting banks, the University of Washington Foster School of Business, and the Washington Bankers Association, the first class embarked upon its first year of the PCBS program at the University of Washington on August 22, 1938.

A Sound Foundation Continues to Serve Students and the Industry

With over 80 years of service to the industry, and with the support of the University of Washington, twelve western banking associations, and an alumni network of over 11,000 industry leaders, PCBS continues to be guided by its founding principles and objectives:

• A curriculum planned for training bank executives
• Classes taught throughout the session by one instructor, rather than by several different lecturers
• Teaching methods designed for adult education
• Emphasis upon principles rather than techniques
• Preparation for responsible citizenship
• Utilization of evening sessions to supplement the day classes
• The requirement that students reside on the campus throughout the school session
• Development of fellowship among students and between students and faculty
• Provision, through extension coursework, for study throughout the year