The College of Business has received a $20,000 grant from Motorola, Inc., Communications Sector to establish a sales skills learning laboratory.

The lab, complete with a video camera and recording equipment, will be used for marketing, advertising, marketing research, and other business classes.

“It will be an environment very conducive to learning. It will give students a sense for what a professional atmosphere is like,” Varco marketing professor Stephen Castleberry said.

The conference-room setting will help students gain self-confidence in expressing their selling ideas, Castleberry said.

Desks will be placed in a U-shaped form, as in a conference room, and students’ class presentations will be videotaped, said Castleberry. Students can later discuss their presentations with faculty while reviewing the presentation on a 10-inch screen.

Schaumburg-based Motorola, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of electronic equipment, systems and components for worldwide markets. Motorola manufactures cellular telephones and systems, two-way radios, pagers and other equipment. The first Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for manufacturing excellence was awarded to Motorola in 1988.

“We feel that NIU business and marketing graduates offer a diverse range of capabilities necessary for today’s evolving business arenas,” Ron Greenwell, senior vice president and general manager of Motorola Communications & Electronics, Inc., a subsidiary of Motorola, Inc. said.

Castleberry said, “They’re (Motorola) committed to making our students successful.”

All lab equipment is presently on order. The room might later be used to hold seminars as well, Castleberry said.