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IU'S KELLEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SETS ITSELF APART WITH HIGH TECH COMPUTER CLASSROOM AND LAB
EDITORS: You or a reporter are invited to join several members of Sears' management team at an official unveiling of the new teaching facility, beginning at 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 16 at Business 425, and at a session with students afterwards. For more information, contact George Vlahakis, IU Office of Communications and Marketing at 812-855-0846, or Paula Davis, Sears, at 847-286-8361.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Students in retailing and marketing at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business just jumped one step ahead of their competition. With a grant from Sears, Roebuck and Co., the school's Center for Education and Research in Retailing has a new state-of-the-art computer classroom and laboratory, which will be unveiled on Oct. 16.
"Retail professionals are expected to be more than computer literate -- they're expected to be thought leaders in the application of computer technology," said Frank Acito, chairman of the IU Marketing Department.
"The most successful retailers know how to use computer technology to innovate and adapt their businesses to changing consumer preferences," Acito added. "Students who are exposed to this discipline and who understand the latest technologies will be tomorrow's industry drivers."
The classroom contains 32 student computer workstations featuring the most advanced Pentium II processors and flat-screen monitors, which are connected to a network server. Students using the classroom can interact with retail database marketing software packages, geo-demographic systems, graphics programs, spreadsheets, statistical packages and three-dimensional virtual reality shopping environments. They will gain first-hand experience with merchandise and profit planning and financial projections.
"The retail business is constantly changing with new technologies, resources, efficiencies and capabilities being introduced every day," said Robert Wery, Sears director of college relations. "The new laboratory will help students prepare for the technology challenges and opportunities they will face when they enter the workforce, as well as distinguishing their skill sets from those of other candidates."
"As chemistry and medical students need laboratories to conduct research and tests, retail students need a similar environment that is conducive to exploration and experimentation. This is the path to discovery, progress and success," continued Acito.
In January 1997, Sears and the Kelley School established the Center for Education and Research in Retailing. The center stimulates student interest in retailing, sponsors research projects and helps faculty to develop cutting-edge teaching materials and methods for the discipline.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and related services. More information about Sears is available at the company's Web site at http://www.sears.com
For more than three quarters of a century, IU's Kelley School of Business has been at the forefront of curriculum innovation. Its programs are consistently judged to be among the best in the nation. Its undergraduate program in marketing was ranked third best by U.S. News & World Report, to cite just one example. Its graduates are recruited by leading national retailers as well as other top U.S. companies.
(George Vlahakis, Office of Communications and Marketing, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu or Paula S. Davis, Sears, 847-286-8361