Recruiting at UF

The Warrington College of Business Administration at the University of Florida is an attractive campus for recruiting corporate retail management trainees with an outstanding quality, quantity, and diversity of students, high ranking and specialized academic programs, and recruiting support provided by the David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research.

Quality, Quantity, and Diversity of Students

The University of Florida is one of the largest Universities in the world. It has a student enrollment of over 50,000 students - 35,000 undergraduates with 4,000 students pursuing degrees in business administration. These students have outstanding qualifications. For example, the 2006 freshman class had the following profile:

Average high school GPA -- 4.1 (academic classes only; weighted GPA)
Average SAT total -- 1290
55 percent reported five or more AP or IB scores as of July 2006.
UF was #1 among all schools for recruitment of International Baccalaureate degree holders.
UF was #1 among public schools and #2 overall for recruitment of National Merit Scholars. (Only Harvard ranks higher.)
UF was #1 among public schools and #4 overall for recruitment of National Achievement Scholars.

While the Warrington College of Business Administration ranks #29 in U.S. News & World Report 2007 Undergraduate Business Rankings, specialty areas of particular relevance to retailing are ranked in the Top 20 - Marketing - the department teaching retailing (#9), Real Estate (#12), Accounting (#12), Finance (#14). In addition, a number of business schools in the Top 20 have small programs with limited diversity, minimal student inters in retailing and no retail center to promote the industry and facilitate recruiting.

Quality of Academic Programs

In 1985, UF was admitted to the Association of American Universities (AAU), one of the most prestigious organizations in higher education. The AAU is made up of the top 60 universities in North America and the University of Florida is the only school in Florida that belongs.

Another indication of the quality of the academic programs is quality of the faculty. For example, the marketing department, the area in which retailing is taught, is a recognized leader in the discipline of marketing. For over a decade, its faculty has ranked as one of the most productive and influential in the field among private and public Universities. The faulty is known for conducting provocative, cutting-edge research that contributes both to the scientific understanding and practice of marketing. Its Ph.D. program has produced many leading researchers in the discipline - students that have taken faculty positions in business schools at Harvard, MIT, Wharton, University of Chicago, NYU, Washington University, University of Texas - Austin and Penn State.

Specialized Degree Programs Relevant to Retail Positions

In addition to offering a BSBA degree, over 600 business students are enrolled in specialized degree programs relevant to retail positions in supply chain management, MIS, real estate, loss prevention, finance, and accounting. In most of these programs, students matriculate for an additional year receiving both a BSBA and a Masters Degree. In addition, there are 80 students in the Master of Science in Information Systems & Operations Management program (MS ISOM and Supply Chain Management), 240 students in the Master of Accounting, 105 students in the Master of Arts in International Business program, 30 students in the Master of Science in Finance program, 100 students in the Master of Science in Management (Human Resource Management) program, and 25 students in the Master of Science in Real Estate program.

Students Interested in Pursuing Careers in Retailing

Warrington's David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research is one of just three business school-based retail centers in the country. Two major objectives of the Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research are to stimulate student interest in pursuing careers in retailing and prepare students for entry level management positions.

135 students take summer internships with retail firms and a similar number accept management trainee positions with retail firms when they graduate.
Over 25 students take corporate positions with retailers such as JCPenney, Macy's (East, Midwest, Florida), Payless Shoes, Lowes, Famous Footwear, Office Depot, Walgreens, and Dollar General.
Over 360 students enroll in the Sears Holdings seminar series each year.
Over 250students take the Retail Principles course each year.
The University of Florida is the top recruiting source for the three divisions of Macy's, Target, Walgreens, and JCPenney.

Recruiting Support Provided by the Miller Retail Center Staff

The staff of the Miller Center facilitates on-campus recruiting efforts of sponsoring retailers through various activities.

Arrange for company managers to speak in classes.
Assist in connecting sponsors with student organizations ( The Retail Society, Black Business Students, Hispanic Business Students, etc. )
Feature "Gator" managers on the website, making them available to students considering job opportunities.
Promote sponsoring companies exclusively for trainee positions and internships.
Inform students via email about sponsor activities.
Provide online resumes of students interested in retailing.
Match students with retailers for summer internships.
Monitor and evaluate students during summer internship.
Gather student feedback on completed internships during fall semester.
Supervise the Student Advisory Board in assisting with sponsors' recruiting activities.
Schedule focus groups when companies are available to participate and in company's absence.
Monitor recruiting information sessions and interview schedules.
Arrange meetings/dinners with sponsoring firms and business school faculty.
Conduct a workshop series each semester featuring three sessions:
Careers in Retailing, How to Interview, and Dress for Success.