George W. Coleman ’78 VSB Selected as the Recipient of the 2018 Rev. Joseph C. Bartley, OSA Alumni Medallion

Villanova, Pa., August 29, 2018 - The Villanova School of Business (VSB) has selected George W. Coleman ’78 VSB, retired vice chairman of global equities at Credit Suisse, as the 2018 recipient of The Rev. Joseph C. Bartley, OSA Alumni Medallion. The Bartley Medallion is the highest distinction VSB can bestow to an alumnus/a, and is awarded annually to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers while also demonstrating extraordinary service to their communities and to VSB.

“As a proud VSB alumnus, I am honored to receive the 2018 Bartley Alumni Medallion and join the impressive group of its past recipients,” said Coleman. “Villanova changed my life, so it’s very easy for me to give back.”

Coleman’s passion for Villanova sprung from an early age while working at the Larchmont Shore Club in New York. The president of the club, Edward Riley ’43 VSB, took a liking to Coleman and suggested that he consider Villanova for his undergraduate education. Coleman, intrigued by Riley’s stories of Villanova, took his advice and would later tap into the Villanova network to launch his 30-year career in finance.

Since graduating, Coleman has remained closely connected with the University in numerous ways. He has generously donated his time and talents, having served as member of the Campaign Executive Committee for the Villanova Campaign to Ignite Change and participating in numerous student-centric initiatives to help prepare students for jobs on Wall Street and to inspire his fellow alumni to stay engaged with their alma mater.

In addition to giving his time, he and his wife, Katie, have generously supported the University and its mission with over $3 million in support and were among the inaugural members of the Carr Society which recognizes donors who have given over $1 million in their lifetime to the University. Their first major gift established one of the first student-managed endowment funds in VSB. He went on to establish a nursing scholarship in memory of his mother, a nurse who earned a PhD in public health at the age of 63. The Colemans have also generously supported men’s basketball through the building of the Davis Center, the Finneran Pavilion renovation project, and endowing the team’s strength and conditioning coach position.

Now retired, Coleman is even more active as a Villanova ambassador. His roles as New York regional chairman and member of the Campaign Executive Committee for the Villanova Campaign to Ignite Change keep him doing what he loves—building relationships, inspiring others to do their part and sharing his own Villanova story.

“I tell people that Villanova has not been a four-year decision. It’s been a 40-year decision,” Coleman said. “Those four years have stayed with me the entire time.”

The Bartley Alumni Medallion will be formally presented to Coleman at the Villanova Business Leaders Forum on October 4, 2018, where he and Dean Russell will have a fireside chat to learn more about his career, accomplishments and dedication to VSB and Villanova University.

The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is ranked #1 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek and has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence (the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management) with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and teaching opportunities for business faculty. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.