On behalf of the Texas Retailers Education Foundation, Jim Aller, Walmart’s regional senior vice president of human resources, presents a $50,000 check to Tracy Davis, director of University of Houston-Downtown’s new Center for Retail Management, and Don Bates, dean of UHD’s College of Business.
The Texas Retailers Education Foundation (TREF) donated $50,000 to the University of Houston-Downtown College of Business at the InterContinental Houston Hotel Tuesday, Oct. 4, for development of undergraduate and non-academic education initiatives in retail management education.
The presentation is the TREF’s third donation to UHD’s College of Business and was made at the Texas Retailers Association’s annual meeting Oct. 4-5 at the Galleria area hotel.
“UHD is grateful for its public/private partnership with the Texas Retailers Association and the long-term benefit that employees and students interested in retail management and store operations can realize from the partnership,” said Donald L. Bates, dean of the College of Business. “This generous gift will enable the college to move forward with its plans to offer online and traditional learning opportunities in this important segment of the economy.”
This donation means UHD’s College of Business can design and deliver an online webinar course by the first quarter 2012 that enables retail employees to improve their knowledge base and skill sets in retail store operations, said Tracy Davis, director of UHD’s new Center for Retail Management. The University will also be able to offer enrollment incentives to undergraduate students interested in careers in retail management, ideally leading to a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in retail management, Davis said.
“TREF is proud to support the retail management initiatives at UH-Downtown. We have now invested a total of $130,000 in the retail program at UH-Downtown, and we hope that with the continued generosity of retailers that this type of donation will continue in the future,” said Shannon Williams, TREF chair and Al’s Formal Wear vice president of human resources.
This partnership between the Texas Retailers Association and the UHD College of Business will keep an educated and contributing workforce available to manage and operate retail outlets more effectively and efficiently, Williams said. One in 10 Texans will find a job in the retail field, so it is an investment in the future success of their careers and/or businesses.
UHD is the second largest university in Houston and the 13th largest four-year, public university in Texas. One of the most ethnically diverse universities in the country, UHD ranks 37th nationally for graduating Hispanic students with bachelor's degrees and 37th nationally for graduating African-American students with bachelor's degrees. Approximately 2,000 students graduate from UHD each year. For information about UHD, visit the website http://www.uhd.edu/.
The Texas Retailers Association (TRA) is a trade association representing retail outlets across the state. The mission of the TRA is to bea strong advocate forthe retail industry and to providevalue-addedservices andprogramspertinent to our members. Additional information is available at www.txretailers.org.
The Texas Retailers Education Foundation, the education arm of TRA, acts to expand awareness of the retail industry to current and potential employees as well as in the community; to educate fellow retailers on key business practices and issues through roundtable discussions, workshops or seminars; and to improve the Texas workforce through the funding of scholarships and educational opportunities.
