OBJECTIVES

• To interest more college students in retailing as a career
• To better prepare college students for a retailing career
• To serve the needs of retail firms
• To position Texas A&M University as the premier institution committed to retail education, research, and service

HISTORY

A retailer’s challenge in 1980 turned into the Center for retailing Studies at Texas A&M University. Donald Zale, son of Morris B. Zale who founded the well-known jewelry corporation, challenged three business schools: "Do something for retailing." Texas A&M responded.

At the time, few students thought of retailing as a potential career. In those days, most people equated retailing simply with selling. Students were not studying the subject, and retailers were not getting their fair share of talented college graduates. The time had come to build a bridge between the academic and business worlds and present the case for retailing — a worthy profession.

The Center began with four goals: Invite support from multiple retailers through sponsorships, Create a center for all segments of the retailing industry to ensure diversity, Attract an advisory board of top-level executives, and Educate and place highly qualified students.

Today, we still achieve those goals. In fact, we have reached beyond them.

Today we currently have over 55 sponsor companies and 15 Advisory Board Members. These partnerships create an exemplary learning environment for our students. Programs such as the Retailing Certificate, the Executive Professor program, the Retail Career Fair, internships, and an expanded academic curriculum of retailing classes encourage the professional development of the next generation of retail's leaders. From these initiatives, thousands of students have been placed in full-time and internship positions with retailers. Finally, the student organizations sponsored by the Center, the Student Retailing Association and the Zale Scholars, educate students beyond the classroom and allow peer interaction among students pursuing retailing careers.

Like the retail industry itself, the Center for Retailing Studies is always adapting to the needs of our students and corporate partners. We will continue to reorganize, expand, and seek to improve our current offerings while initiating new projects in order to remain the leader in retail education.