Where are the retail leaders of tomorrow going to come from? From the CEO down, many in the industry share this overriding concern. There is a shortage of qualified candidates today, and all indications are that the shortage will only worsen in the coming decades.

In response to this need, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created the Center for Retailing Excellence to develop a new, strategic direction. This vision recognizes the interdependence of our students, our faculty, and our partners in the industry. As one of the top research institutions in the world and one of the top public universities in the nation, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is uniquely situated to address and solve this problem.

Our Students. We are using the center to dramatically increase the number of exceptional students interested in retail careers of all sorts. We are not simply redistributing our graduates in an already inadequate pipeline of potential retail talent. We are redefining retail as a very positive, exciting and rewarding career for our top students from the widest possible range of majors and backgrounds from across the entire campus.

In addition center has a broad focus beyond juniors and seniors to include sophomores, freshmen and even students considering admission to the university. The earlier we can get a student interested in retail, the better prepared they will be to take significant leadership roles. We are working closely with student groups and other campus organizations focused on expanding the number of diverse students involved in our retail programs.

Our Faculty. We are also starting at the beginning. We are using the university's resources and status as a world-renowned research institution to recruit and develop professors and scholars who will focus on the retail industry. Clearly we need to draw, retain and develop top educators in order to continue to attract top students.

Our Industry Partners. The Center for Retailing Excellence is not a recruiting center. The Center for Retailing Excellence is a new strategic initiative designed to have a long-term impact on the ability of the retail industry to find and develop leaders. Strong partnerships with companies within the industry who have the vision to address the talent acquisition problem now and the desire to reap the benefits for years to come are essential to the success of this initiative.

Jerry O’Brien, Director gobrien@wisc.edu
Center for Retailing Excellence Telephone: 608-263-7996