It’s Always About the People
Publicity about the new Collegiate Retailer of the Year (CROY) Award has hit the major publications in the college market as well as higher education channels. All of the people involved in the planning and implementation of this program are excited about the response thus far, and we look forward to receiving even more nominations before the November 12 deadline. I'm sure there are many NACS members wondering why and how this program was developed. Bear with me for a bit of history.
I spent thirty productive years in the college store market, and I learned how to manage a college store through the NACS educational offerings. In spite of serving as a NACS President, I can honestly say that my greatest professional rewards came from teaching NACS educational seminars and workshops and being part of the old College Store Evaluation Service. My participation in these activities showed me the emergence of a dynamic, creative, and highly successful niche retail market serving higher education. I strongly believe that stores demonstrating this very success must not only be recognized but rewarded, and rewarded handsomely; thus the creation of the CROY award. Quite a few of my former "students" heard me say that they needed to "toot their own horn" on campus, and I remain a cheerleader for the college store in the development of this award.
This award draws attention from everyone involved in higher education, from students, faculty, and staff, to vendors, alumni and legislators, that our stores are not sleepy little shops that do little to add to the value of higher education. The college store must be a key component in the life of a successful college or university. Certainly proof of this statement is the pioneering effort made for years by college stores to bring affordable course materials (especially textbooks) to their customers. Clearly there is controversy within our vendor community about the true value of the used book market, but our customers have always appreciated a lower-priced option of a used book over a new book. And there have always been a group of colleges with a strong commitment to lower cost textbooks via their rental programs.
The CROY Award is THE major way a successful college store can be recognized and rewarded. The process is clearly explained on the NACS Foundation web site, and it really isn't very complex. Nominated stores simply provide documentation for a defined list of criterion. This is not a subjective process but rather, a very data-based effort. We want the winner and the college served by that store to stand proudly as the BEST college store in the country as recognized by their peers, their community, and their customers. It may be a stretch to say that the CROY is our equivalent of a Heisman trophy! Our dream is to see nominations for the CROY Award to come from students, from faculty members, from student government associations and especially from college presidents. When this happens, my passion for the college store will be confirmed: that college stores really ARE an integral part of campus life.
The financial contribution that my husband and I have given to the NACS Foundation for the establishment of this award is our give-back for 30 plus years of professional growth and development given to us by NACS, Inc. and college store colleagues and vendors around the world. Let's keep excellence alive in our stores and pay it forward by continuing to provide a learning experience for new people coming into our industry. NACS members ARE the heart and soul of the College Store of 2015. It's always about the people, not the place.
When you see or talk to the following people, be sure and say "thanks" for all the work they have provided to get his project off the ground: George Mitchell, University of Texas and Buz Moser, Wake Forest University; DeAnn Hazey and her staff at the NACS Foundation, and Cynthia D'Angelo at NACS, Inc.
-Tommye Miller