With the academic year barely begun, the exciting achievements and activities of the Center for Retailing Studies are already underway. For example, Carlos Sepulveda, CEO and President of Interstate Batteries, and Greg Brue, CEO of Six Sigma Consultants, shared their recommendations for business success with over 500 students as part of this semester’s Executive Professor Program. Pat Bronstein, buyer for Foley’s, returned this semester to speak to the retail buying class and to introduce a semester long project which includes identifying best selling items and making recommendations for maximizing them. The Center welcomed two new staff members to its team. And, the Aggies in Retailing database and professional networking program formally launched earlier this month. These represent a mere sampling of the important accomplishments and programs included in this newsletter edition.

The Center for Retailing Studies thanks all the retailers, retailing partners and academic colleagues who generously give of their time and knowledge to make our programs enriching experiences for students. They are the next generation of retail leaders and the reason we strive to sponsor initiatives that bridge the academic and business communities. This semester, the Center’s associate director, Cheryl Holland Bridges, will continue teaching the Retail Buying course, which is quickly becoming a new anchor of Texas A&M’s retailing curriculum. Students can complement their rigorous academic study with experiential learning opportunities throughout the semester. These include: a field trip to a Target Superstore in Houston, the “Teens in Retailing” service project, lunches with visiting Executive Professors, and designation as a Zale Scholar. Students selected to be M.B. Zale Leadership Scholars are recognized by University President Robert Gates and the Zale Foundation for their dedication to retailing, and serve as the Center’s student ambassadors for a 12 month period. Together, these experiential learning opportunities and academic programs serve to develop the professional, personal, and intellectual skills of our students.

Thirteen senior-level executives will visit Texas A&M University this fall semester as part of the Center for Retailing Studies’ Executive Professor program. The program’s overall goal is to expose students to a diversity of viewpoints about the retail industry from those leading it today.

Participants are drawn from traditional brick-and-mortar retail companies as well as retail partners, like advertising and consulting firms, in order to give students an understanding of the different career paths that make up retail, the nation’s second largest industry employer. Executive Professors for fall 2004 include: Carlos Sepulveda, the CEO and President of Interstate Batteries; Paul Kruse ’77, Blue Bell Creameries President and CEO; and senior managers from Foley’s, Neiman Marcus, Payless ShoeSource, Euro RSCG, Six Sigma Consultants, Walgreens, and Sears. For a complete calendar listing, please visit: http://crstamu.org.

Carlos Sepulveda President and CEO Interstate Batteries September 15		Greg Brue President and CEO Six Sigma Consultants September 16		Pat Bronstein Buyer Foley's September 20

Since the program's launch in 1983, the Center has sponsored more than 200 visiting speakers. Today, students often anticipate the line-up of “celebrity” lecturers that make up a major part of the curriculum in the upper level Marketing course, Retail Buying. Taught by the Center’s Associate Director, Cheryl Bridges , who brings 25 years of retailing experience to the classroom, the course condenses two years of professional training into one semester of intense study of retail buying. Executive Professors’ lectures are also a key part of the Masters Marketing Program in Mays Business School.

The Executive Professors bring real world business discussions into the classroom setting. Students can ask questions about career paths or be challenged to select the merchandise that will sell this season based on samples brought into the classroom. For the executives, the visit allows them to meet potential student interns or new hires, and to familiarize themselves with the Center’s retailing program, Mays Business School and Texas A&M. One past Executive Professor said of his classroom experience, “This can be a mini-job interview. I know who (among the students) is really interested in retail by who is asking questions after my lecture."

The Center for Retailing Studies sincerely thanks all 2004 Executive Professor participants.

Internships remain the number one most cited source to secure professional employment. Students gain invaluable real world experience and employers can try out potential new hires while working on special projects. For summer 2004, the Center helped 72 students secure retailing internships in 29 companies including Walgreens, Euro RSCG, Harley Davidson, Foley’s, JCPenney, Wal-Mart, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus. The undergraduates traveled the country, and even abroad, to take their first steps into professional careers in retailing. Senior speech communication major Lindsay Clay said of her experience at Crate and Barrel, “I learned that eagerness and kindness go a long way with customers and fellow employees. I learned also that it is important to really love the work you are doing because when you don’t, your performance slips.”

Professional work opportunities and skill development are integral components of the educational experience supported by the Center. An internship is necessary to meet the requirements for the Certificate in Retailing, which includes academic coursework, work experience, and extracurricular involvement. The certificate provides tangible evidence of a student’s commitment and expertise in retailing. Each year the Center awards about 30 certificates to successful candidates.

This semester the Center will work with retailers neighboring the Texas A&M campus to create an internship program for students seeking work experience during the academic semester. By expanding the internship program and developing partnerships with outstanding local retails, more students can meet the criteria for the Certificate in Retailing.

The Center is proud to welcome two new members to our staff: Monteigne Cordray & Margaret Griffith.

Monteigne assumes responsibility as the office’s Administrative Coordinator. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2002 with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing and a Certificate in Retailing. Her academic background makes her an ideal representative of the Center to its many professional visitors and students. Monteigne serves as the main contact for event scheduling, and oversees communication with the Center’s Advisory Board and the Retail Education Board. She joins our team from the Liere Insurance Agency in College Station where she served as the Marketing Director.

Montiegne Cordray Administrative Coordinator		Margaret Griffith Student Program Coordinator

Margaret Griffith, also known as “Maggie the Aggie,” takes over as advisor to the Retailing Society and coordinator of the Center’s student programs, including Career Fair. Prior to the Center, she served as the Health Education Coordinator in the Department of Student Health Services where she taught classes and counseled students for six years. “Maggie” Griffith has long ties to Texas A&M and was one of the first female students to attend the university; she returned in 1993 to complete her Master’s in Health Education. She earned her BS degrees in Psychology and Business Administration at St. Mary College in Leavenworth, Kansas. Today, she is admired by her students and has been honored as Fish Camp and Howdy Camp namesakes.

Throughout the Center for Retailing Studies' 20-year history, hundreds of Aggies have participated in our student organizations, received the Certificate in Retailing, interned with our sponsor companies, and enrolled in our retailing classes.  Today many of these Aggies enjoy successful careers in retailing.  Many more may have entered retail careers from other academic backgrounds.  

To keep in touch with these former students, provide ways for them to communicate with each other, and to provide current students with a professional network, the Center has launched Aggies in Retailing.   The program will link current and former students by hosting networking events and encouraging students to use the on-line resources sponsored by The Association of Former Students (http://www.aggienetwork.com). Members can expect program announcements from the Center, access to our students as potential interns or employees, invitations to social events, and access to the Center's professional staff and faculty.  We want all Former Students now working in retail to know that the Center for Retailing Studies is a resource for them to use for networking opportunities, consulting, employment contacts and much more.  It costs nothing to be a member, but former students must be registered in The Association’s on-line directory.

To kick-off the program, current & former students pursuing retailing careers were invited to a tailgate party on October 2. Festivities begin at 3:00 PM, three hours before the Fighting Texas Aggie football team plays Kansas State. Retail employers from across Texas also received invitations encouraging them to attend and potentially meet their next new hire or intern. In this social setting, we hope everyone can have the opportunity to expand their professional network, build relationships and learn more about the Center.

Event Summary Tailgate Party, October 2 3 hours before kick-off Gazebo outside Wehner Free parking available – lots 67 & 68, by the Heep & Kleberg Buildings

Texas A&M University’s West Campus Library which serves students and faculty in Mays Business School celebrates its 10th anniversary on October 1. Anchoring the mostly electronic business library is the R. C. Barclay Reference and Retailing Resources Center. Ron Barclay, son of R. C. Barclay, co-founder of Randalls Food Markets, is a graduate of Texas A&M Class of 1968 and will return to campus to participate in the anniversary program. Barclay spoke at the 1994 dedication which featured the state-of-art Barclay electronic reference center. The Center for Retailing Studies helped raise funds and visibility for the Barclay Center when it was first built.

The West Campus Library is a child of the electronic age having far more electronic resources than printed ones. Today students can access over 60 different databases from almost 300 computer stations to research retailing, marketing, management and much more.

On October 1, 2004, the Center for Retailing Studies will begin accepting nominations for the 2005 Outstanding Retail Educator Award. Applications will be judged based on a candidate’s curriculum vitae, teaching evaluations, innovative teaching methods, research, and other indications of teaching excellence in retailing. Brenda Sternquist of Michigan State University received the honor last year. Her excellence in teaching was also the attention of a focus article in the August issue of Stores Magazine.

Applications are available at http://www.crstamu.org