A MOVEMENT BEGINS
The University Sales Center Alliance (USCA) was founded in 2002 with the overarching goal to improve the sales profession through education, research, and service.
The genesis of the University Sales Center Alliance (USCA) can be traced to a common purpose shared by the sales faculty of the first university sales programs. These leaders established the USCA to enhance the credibility of sales among practitioners, future practitioners, and the general public.
The idea for the USCA was conceived in 1999 at the National Collegiate Sales Competition, which was launched at Baylor University and is currently held at Kennesaw State University.
Since then, sales competitions have played a dual role in establishing incubators for the growth of sales programs and, most importantly, exposed academic sales programs to the business community. By 2007, the number of sales competitions grew from one to three national sales competitions and three regional university sales competitions. The corporate community has been drawn to USCA programs and industries by its interest and need for qualified salespeople and has been an essential driving force behind this growth.
Establishing the USCA began a tradition of sharing ideas and helping others advance the cause of sales education. USCA founders had understood the need to work together to grow sales curriculum and benefit of establishing sales programs in higher education. USCA members actively share best practices (based upon empirically supported research) and identify standards for the university sales centers. Such actions build the credibility and character of the sales discipline.
Dr. William “Bill” Weeks (Baylor University) and Dr. Ramon Avila (Ball State University) discussed the idea of bringing together the sales center directors on a regular basis. They invited the sales center directors to Ball State University’s campus in 2002 for the first meeting of this new group. Additional dialogue among existing directors occurred at the 2000 and 2001 National Conference in Sales and Sales Management (NCSM). Dr. Jon Hawes (University of Akron) and Dr. David Shepherd (Kennesaw State University) were actively involved in supporting these collaborative efforts.
The initial USCA meeting was known as the 2002 Sales Center Summit and was attended by directors and associate directors from nine universities. The inaugural meeting included Ball State University (Dr. Ramon Avila, Dr. Scott Inks, and Dr. Joe Chapman), Baylor University (Dr. Bill Weeks and Dr. Terry Loe), Illinois State University (Dr. Mike Williams), Northern Illinois University (Dr. Dan Weilbaker), University of Toledo (Dr. Dave Reid), Ohio University (Dr. Barbara Dyer), University of Akron (Dr. Jon Hawes), University of Houston (Dr. Eli Jones) and Kennesaw State University (Dr. David Shepherd).
The original mission or theme of the meeting was “To do together what we could not do separately to advance the sales (education) profession.” The group agreed to have an academic focus (not being perceived as a trade school), and to establish “professional standards” (to be published and communicated to other sales centers). The mission was to support other schools in order to build the sales education field! After much discussion, the mission statement developed at the summit was “To advance the sales profession through academic leadership through: Education, Research, Outreach, Sales Education, Sales Research, Sales Resources, Sales Center Professional Standards, Corporate Involvement, and Service Ideals.”
THE FOUNDING NINE
Ball State University
Baylor University
Illinois State University
Kennesaw St. University
N. Illinois University
Ohio University
University of Akron
University of Houston
University of Toledo
INITIAL ACTIONS OF THE USCA
Four criteria were established to become a member of the USCA:
- Certification by the Sales and Marketing Trainers group (SMT) (requirement was subsequently dropped)
- Sales education must be an area of focus in the university
- The university must recognize the sales center within its organizational structure (Sales in the name of the center)
- Faculty must be academically active in the sales area
The group decided to meet twice per year. Hosting the Fall meeting would rotate amongst USCA member schools to facilitate the sharing of ideas and see the facilities and centers on other campuses. Spring would be held in conjunction with an academic conference.
GROWTH
Expansion of the USCA has encouraged the growth of university sales education which has been further spurred by the continued high demand by industry for qualified entry-level salespeople. University sales competitions played a role in helping raise awareness of these programs and in connecting programs to the USCA. University-hosted sales competitions showcases the academic sales community to the business community.
Members of the business community have discovered the value of university sales programs for salesforce recruitment, with many firms providing financial and other resources to support sales center operations. These partnerships have been essential to the growth of university sales education and the USCA.