Weitz named outstanding retailing educator

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Barton Weitz, JCPenney Eminent Scholar of Retail Management in the Warrington College of Business, has been named the recipient of the third Annual Outstanding Retailing Educator Award. The award is sponsored jointly by the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M, JCPenney, and the National Retailing Federation.

The award, which is national in scope and cuts across disciplines and colleges, honors an outstanding teacher of retailing whose efforts promote retailing as a career and whose teaching inspires students to greatness in the field. Award committee chair David Szymanski stated that Weitz’ performance in the classroom and his exemplary track record of contributions to the academic side of retailing clearly place him as a leader in the profession, and an ideal choice for this year’s award.

Further testament to Weitz’ outstanding performance, as well as the respect and admiration he engenders in his colleagues, is the fact that his nomination was submitted unbeknownst to him by Distinguished Professor Joseph Alba, with support from other faculty and students at the University of Florida, “the ultimate sign of respect and endearment,” Szymanski said.

Professor Weitz literally wrote the book on Retailing Management, now in its sixth edition. He is also Executive Director of UF’s David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research, one of just four business school-based retail centers in the country. Their annual symposium, “Retailing Smarter,” is the largest university-based conference for retail managers and students in the US. Weitz has also served as chair of the American Marketing Association and, among his many honors, was named the AMA Distinguished Educator in 1998.