Ocean County College students prepare with M&T bankers for Rutgers Business School Competition

M&T Bank and Rutgers Business School have launched a new partnership for the second annual Rutgers Business School New Jersey County College Case Competition, with M&T serving as the presenting sponsor of this year’s competition.

In addition to financial support for the competition, M&T will offer their bankers as advisers to participating community college students throughout New Jersey. Established by Rutgers Business School in 2016, the competition requires students to analyze a real-life business case and present their findings and recommendations to a panel of Rutgers Business School judges.

“Rutgers has one of the nation’s leading business schools, particularly in placing graduates in the workforce, and we see benefits to building a long-term relationship with the university as we continue to grow our business in New Jersey,” said M&T Bank Area Executive Paula Mandell. “Working with Rutgers Business School on this case competition is a great start, allowing our bankers to offer professional assistance to community college students interested in pursuing business degrees and careers.”

“We look forward to developing a strong strategic partnership with M&T Bank and working together to train students of every background to become tomorrow’s business leaders,” said Lei Lei, dean of Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick.

Robert Kurland, associate dean of undergraduate programs at Rutgers Business School-Newark, added: “With the support of M&T Bank, we are able to extend an invitation to additional county colleges which allows more students the opportunity to gain real-world business experience and showcases some of the best future business leaders in New Jersey.”

Students will begin working on the business case in March, with the competition culminating in a day-long event at the RBS Newark campus on April 7. Participating community colleges include:

· Bergen County College

· County College of Morris

· Essex County College

· Hudson County Community College

· Middlesex County College

· Ocean County College

· Passaic County Community College

· Sussex County Community College

· Union County College

M&T Bank operates more than 90 branches in New Jersey and ranks among the state’s largest lenders to small business, middle market and commercial real estate customers. The bank earned a 2016 SBA Gold Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration Newark District for its lending to small businesses in New Jersey.