Bank of America has made a $150,000 gift to Coastal Carolina University's Wall Fellows program. A $50,000 check, the last of three installments, was presented to Coastal by John C. Griggs, senior vice president of Bank of America, recently.

The Wall Fellows program was initiated in 1995 by the late Conway businessman E. Craig Wall Jr. in response to the need, expressed by the leaders of top U.S. corporations, for business graduates with stronger leadership, critical thinking and interpersonal skills. Students are chosen for the Wall Fellows program through a competitive application process at the beginning of their junior years. Up to eight students are admitted into the program each year.

The primary focus of the program is a rigorous three credit-hour per semester course which covers specific non-traditional areas including interpersonal and communications skills, ethics, personal health and appearance, business and social etiquette, foreign languages and cultural skills.

"In many ways, business becomes more of an art than a science the further you progress," said Griggs, who helped organize the Wall Fellows program in its early stages. "Through this program, students learn what is demanded from top management in the world's premier firms."

Among the highlights of the program is the series of internships and international experiences the participants take part in during their senior years. Since the program was initiated, Wall Fellows have had internships at major companies in New York, Atlanta, London, Barcelona and Santiago, Chile, as well as other metropolitan cities, according to William V. Woodson III, director of the program. Many graduates of the program have earned leadership positions throughout the United States and abroad.

Students in the 2004 Wall Fellows class are Hana Artz of Georgetown, S.C.; Dario Grassini of Pretoria, South Africa; Beth Martin of Jacksonville, N.C.; Eric Quimby of Greenfield, Wis.; David Serrano of West Milford, N.J.; and Georgette Timmons of Aynor, S.C.