The Weber State University College of Applied Science and Technology announced the arrival of a new program on Friday. The Alan E. Hall Center for Sales Excellence will come to WSU through donations by the Hall family totaling $3.5 million.
David Ferro, the dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology, said he is excited that the program is starting. He also said he has high hopes for the curriculum and students to be enhanced by the new center’s capabilities.
The center will boast some unique selling points. It will be the first and only one among Utah’s public universities, as well as the only four-year sales program of its kind in the nation. It will also offer corporate opportunities to stimulate and grow the economy.
“The corporate element the center will provide will be a tremendous boon to WSU, the university’s sales students and corporate America,” Hall said. “With the Alan E. Hall Center for Sales Excellence, we will focus on the most important aspect of sales: the customer.”
The center will focus on elevating the sales profession by integrating it with product development, fluid market conditions and complete customer experience.
According to Desiree Cooper-Larsen, a technical sales professor at WSU, the program has been the College of Applied Science and Technology’s best-kept secret.
“Up until now, we have not advertised our program around campus or the Internet,” Cooper-Larsen said. “This new center is allowing our current and future student body to grow and develop within the business and technical sales realm.”
Hall said he hopes the global development of WSU will make headway with the new center. The corporate realm has already shown great interest in the center, he said. Many businesses have contacted WSU within the last week, showing interest in the program.
“Online and classroom programs will usher in students from all areas,” Hall said. “Eventually, we hope to have training programs and certificates available for daily, weekly or monthly seminars.”
Many students have graduated from these programs and gone into the corporate realm successfully.
“My company, Marketstar, tries to hire every graduate from WSU technical sales that we can,” Hall said. “This is usually a starting point so larger companies such as HP and Intel can swoop in and take our sales personnel.
I don’t mind. It is like the Trojan horse. My former employees remember to come to me for their business.”
The students within this program will gain sales experience and training through classroom and dynamic virtual content.
“The goal is to make our graduates ready for the work force,” Cooper-Larson said.
WSU President Charles Wight attended the press release and thanked Hall for his continuing support of WSU’s programs and students.
“This program will bring great attention to Weber State University and the students within our technical sales program,” Wight said. “We look forward to the center and hope that students from all disciplines will take courses in the technical sales department to help sell themselves and their talents.”
