The Program for Sales Leadership (PSL) under the direction of William Ryan and Mary Caravella, grew significantly this year, with total enrollment up 24% over the prior year. Enrollments have been climbing as more students become aware of PSL and the career opportunities. Our PSL partners continue to play a key role providing experiential learning support in-and-outside the classroom through sales role plays, an executive speaker series, internships, field visits, and networking sessions. In 2014, we welcomed CDW, a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government, education and healthcare, as a new partner. They join ADP, Altria, AT&T, EBP Supply Solutions, Enterprise, Liberty Mutual, Northwestern Mutual and Tom James.

We are looking forward to another exciting year for our PSL students. Students will compete at the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition at Bryant University and the National Collegiate Sales Competition in Atlanta, GA. These competitions provide our students the opportunity to use their selling, communication, and interpersonal skills in a competitive setting; meet students with similar interests; and engage with corporate partners that support professional sales.

The Marketing Department is especially proud of two graduating Marketing majors who featured prominently at the School of Business commencement this year! Brittani Phillips ’14, selected to sing the National Anthem, and Joshua Lagan ’14, chosen to deliver the Student Commencement Address, were front and center on Sunday, May 11, at Gampel Pavilion. Brittani Phillips, with years of opera singing training to her credit, performed a moving a cappella version of the National Anthem. Brittani told only her sister that she was performing at graduation, giving her parents and grandparents a wonderfully moving surprise, fitting for the Mother’s Day ceremony.

Brittani, who completed a Certificate in Professional Selling, has taken a sales position with ADP in Windsor, Connecticut. ADP is is one of the world’s largest providers of business outsourcing solutions. Joshua Lagan, chosen from a very competitive pool of applicants, delivered the student commencement address. Joshua reflected on the encouragement and support that he and others received at UConn from faculty, staff and advisors, preparing them for life after graduation. Joshua began working for IBM after graduation as an Associate Consultant in the Enterprise Marketing Performance Division in Manhattan.

Professor Hongju Liu’s Advanced Marketing Research students worked with Karen LaMalva, director of annual giving at the UConn Foundation, to understand more about donors and their profiles. Using SQL programming and SAS software, the students analyzed the Foundation’s large database to learn more about the timing and nuances of giving practices. The Foundation is hoping to incorporate recommendations from this project into their future outreach strategy. Karen offered praise for the students’ efforts, “I enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with an undergraduate class on this project. They did a great job and seemed genuinely excited about their discoveries. I was very impressed with the professional nature of their final presentation.” Brittney Seyfried ’14, a student who worked on the project, said, “I was always interested in the research aspect of marketing. Professor Liu helped me understand SAS and SQL to effectively analyze large data sets. I am very thankful for how personalized the class was and for the skills I have gained, as they will greatly assist me in the full-time job I am starting.” This course and other analytics courses provide students with hands-on market research and analytical skills, as well as the opportunity to develop strategic thinking about how to use data to make sound marketing recommendations.

Pictured: Top row from left to right: Karen LaMalva, Director of Annual Giving at UConn Foundation; Daniel Buzzell, Graduate Assistant at UConn Department of Athletics; Christine Buckley, Communications Director, CLAS; Hongju Liu, Assistant Professor, Marketing; Nian Wang, Ph.D. Student, Marketing; bottom row: students Dayana Peykova, Mary Cooper, Marc Castonguay, and Brittney Seyfried.

The Marketing Department has taught digital marketing for almost ten years. Now, with three new hires with expertise in digital marketing (Professors Jane Gu, David Norton, and Hee Mok Park) and growing employment opportunities, we are very excited to offer a Digital Marketing & Analytics Major for business students at the Stamford campus, a Digital Marketing & Analytics Certificate for business majors in Storrs, and a Digital Marketing & Analytics Minor for non-business majors at all UConn campuses. Beginning in Fall 2014, students will be able to enroll in the required courses for these programs, including “Digital Marketing,” “Integrated Marketing in the Digital Age,” and “Marketing and Digital Analytics.”