Professional Selling Scholarships

The University of New Orleans Department of Marketing and Logistics is awarding six professional selling scholarships to competitively qualified students seeking a career in sales. Five of the available scholarships will be allotted to undergraduate students and one scholarship to a graduate student. The scholarship money will be disbursed in the Spring 2008 semester. Therefore, seniors who plan to graduate in December 2007 and will not be enrolled during the spring semester will not be eligible. The scholarship awards are funded by Liberty Mutual and Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.

The deadline for application submission is November 26, 2007.

Students should note the different criteria for the scholarships and may apply for either or both. Students who received the Liberty Mutual Professional Selling Scholarship last year are not permitted to apply for that particular scholarship again. However, they may apply for the Northwestern Mutual Professional Selling Scholarship. Students can only receive these particular scholarships once during their entire school career.

Students are eligible for the scholarships if they meet the requirements posted below.

Liberty Mutual Professional Selling Scholarships Selection and Awards Criteria

Three (3) scholarships for Professional Selling will be allotted to UNO students during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Deadline: The deadline for application package submission is November 26, 2007.

Criteria:

1) Successful completion of or concurrent enrollment in MKT 3515, Principles of Selling

2) Typed essay on "Why a student should choose selling as a profession"

3) Brief sales presentation on "Why a student should choose selling as a profession"

Selection Procedure: Students apply for the Liberty Mutual Professional Selling scholarships by submitting an application package which consists of the application, a resume and a 200-250 word essay on "Why a student should choose selling as a profession." The application information should be submitted to rkern@uno.edu.

In the essay, students should prepare typed responses to the following questions. The responses should be limited to one or two well-constructed paragraphs.

1. Why does a career in selling interest you?
2. What are your short/long term career goals?
3. Briefly describe one of your achievements or accomplishments that you are particularly pleased with.

Amounts Awarded:
1st Place - $500
2nd Place - $300
3rd Place - $200

After approving the application package, the top three finalists will be notified and asked to return for a final round which entails participating in a 3 to 5 minute role-play which will be video taped in the Marketing Sales Lab. The presentation should focus on "Why a student should choose selling as a profession." This is an opportunity for students to be creative, practice principles of selling, and compete to win scholarship money. Students will also receive professional feedback from the business executives and professors who may serve as judges.

The awards are intended to: 1) Encourage student participation in the field of selling; 2) Reward student achievements and contributions, including those not usually recognized by other scholarship programs; and 3) Assist students to perform well academically and motivate students to contribute to society

Contact:

Melissa Dubuc
Academic Assistant Department of Marketing and Logistics
333 Kirschman Hall
University of New Orleans Phone: 504-280-6265
Fax: 504-280-5443
Email: mdubuc@uno.edu

Dr. Leila Borders
Liberty Mutual Scholarship Program Director
Department of Marketing and Logistics
343B Kirschman Hall
University of New Orleans
Phone: 504-280-6195
Fax: 504-280-5443
Email: aborders@uno.edu

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Selection and Awards Criteria

General: Three (3) scholarships for Professional Selling will be allotted to UNO students during the 2007-2008 academic year. Two of these awards will be for undergraduate students and one award for a graduate student.

Deadline: The deadline for the application package submission is November 26, 2007.

Criteria:
1) Successful completion of or concurrent enrollment in MKT 3515, Principles of Selling
2) Typed essay on "Why a student should choose selling as a profession"
3) The top five finalists* will perform a brief sales role-play on a product, of the applicant’s choice, to a prospect. The candidate will choose a person to volunteer as the role of the prospect.

* Finalists will be notified by Northwestern Mutual and at the time of notification will be scheduled for a presentation.

Selection Procedure:
a. Students apply for the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network (NMFN) Professional Selling Scholarships by submitting an application package which consists of the application, a letter of recommendation from someone in the business community, a resume and a 500-word essay (maximum number of words) on "Why a student should choose selling as a profession." Undergraduate students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. The application package should be submitted to (rkern@uno.edu).

b. In the essay, students should prepare typed responses to the three essay questions below. Responses to each of the questions should be limited to one to two pages of well-constructed paragraphs, using Microsoft WORD, double-spaced, 12-point font.

Answer each of the following Essay Questions:
1. Why does a career in selling interest you?
2. What are your short/long term career goals?
3. Briefly describe one of your achievements or accomplishments that you are particularly pleased with.

Amounts Awarded:
Undergraduate Student:
1st Place - $1,000, 2nd Place: $500

Graduate Student:
Ist Place - $ 500

After approving the application package, the top five finalists in the undergraduate and graduate categories will be notified and asked to return for a final round, which entails participating in a 5 to 10 minute role-play at the office of Northwestern Mutual. Practicing for the employer presentation may take place in the Marketing & Sales Lab. This is an opportunity for students to be creative, practice principles of selling, and compete to win scholarship money. Students will also receive professional feedback from the NMFN business executives and professors who may serve as judges.

Purpose of the awards
The awards are intended to:
1) Encourage student participation in the field of selling
2) Reward student achievements and contributions, including those not usually recognized by other scholarship programs, and motivate students to contribute to society.

Contact:
Melissa Dubuc
Academic Assistant
Department of Marketing and Logistics
333 Kirschman Hall
University of New Orleans
Phone: 504-280-6265
Fax: 504-280-5443
Email: mdubuc@uno.edu

Dr. Leila Borders
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Scholarship Program Director
Department of Marketing and Logistics
343B Kirschman Hall
University of New Orleans
Phone: 504-280-6195F
Fax:504-280-5443
Email: aborders@uno.edu