ATHENS, Ohio -- Thanks to a grant from State Farm Insurance, the Sales Centre in Ohio University's College of Business (COB) will dedicate the State Farm Resource Centre at 9 a.m., Friday, Sept. 27, on the second floor of Copeland Hall.

The $150,000 Resource Centre is composed of three meeting rooms with one-way mirrors that will be used for interviews and presentations that simulate a sales environment. A centrally located fourth room will be used for viewing and taping of sessions. One meeting room is arranged like a conference room for focus groups and larger meetings where student teams will refine selling skills.

The State Farm Resource Centre will provide a convenient and technically current means for all COB students to practice their selling skills and to participate in professional development activities. In addition, COB faculty will use the facility for class assignments and research projects.

The Sales Centre, directed by Associate Professor of Marketing Barbara Dyer, offers a 28-hour cross-disciplinary undergraduate certificate in sales. Students welcome the new Resource Centre because they will be better able to prepare themselves through hands-on learning experiences and immediate feedback from the faculty. Videotaped sessions will allow students to learn from watching their techniques and to perform in-depth self-analyses. The Resource Centre also will feature computers containing sales specific software and access to a sales library.

The College of Business provides a learning environment that enables individuals to develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities needed for success in the complex, global business community of the 21st century.

For more information, contact Barbara Dyer at dyer@ohio.edu.