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SALISBURY, MD---Students in ºÚÁÏÍø’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business are taking the phrase “competing for jobs” literally.

For the past two years, Dr. Howard Dover of SU’s Management and Marketing Department has developed and led courses whose goal is to train SU students to compete in regional and national collegiate sales and marketing competitions. In the process, they learn the principles of business.

This outcomes-based approach was saluted by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington Education Foundation (DMAWEF). It recently honored Dover for his creativity in these courses, presenting him with its prestigious Joan Throckmorton Award for Creative Excellence in Direct Marketing. Given only three times in the past 10 years, the award includes resources for expanding the competition courses.

Dover, a member of the DMAWEF’s academic advising council, said the classes have given students a chance to excel at contests such as the National Collegiate Sales Competition, DAWEF Collegiate MAXI Competition (where SU teams swept first, second and third places this year) and Google Challenge—and at making valuable contacts in the business world.

Companies represented at the competitions have offered jobs to SU students.

“The competitions have made it a slam dunk,” said Dover.

One company, Mariner Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based advertising agency, has hired three SU students in the past two years after seeing their performance in the contests. SU’s participation also has drawn interest in the campus from sales recruiters, including ADP and First Command Financial Services.

While many business schools attempt to include these competitions in their curriculum—the Google Challenge drew more than 1,600 teams last year alone, out of which SU placed in the 70th to 90th percentile—few campuses have courses devoted entirely to them. Dover credits the SU students’ successes in part to the amount of time they are able to spend planning preparing presentations due to the dedicated classes.

“It’s tough to insert that into a regular course without compromising,” he said.

He also said the students’ participation in the contests would have an impact on their careers long after they earn their SU degrees: “These competitions give our students more tools to use in the trade, and our students are raising the eyebrows of national and regional companies.”

Students agree.

“Dr. Dover has a knack for bringing out the best in students,” said SU alumna Katie Fargnoli. “As our advisor for the DMAEWF's ECHO competition, he provided the guidance and support our team needed to achieve semi-finalist status—one of the top 16 submissions in the nation! I truly believe that this opportunity helped to land me my first career.  If it was not for his dedication to helping students succeed, I would not be where I am today.”

Senior Scott Carrico is anticipating similar good success:

“In this atmosphere you are not competing for jobs; these jobs are competing for you. Most schools have competitions before you are even able to have the chance to compete in these prestigious programs, and these firms know this. I have had about 15 firms on a regular basis routine looking for a chance to bring me aboard—firms like ADP, Liberty Mutual, some pharmaceutical companies have had screening interviews and are ready to sit down with me as soon as I graduate.”

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.