DMEF Launches Shankar-Spiegel Dissertation Award

New Award to Recognize Ph.D. Candidates

Conducting Direct/Interactive Marketing Research

New York, NY, December 3, 2007 — The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) has announced the inaugural Shankar-Spiegel Award for the Best Dissertation Proposal in Direct/Interactive Marketing, which is to be awarded for the first time in October 2008.

The award is named for its co-sponsors, DMEF Outstanding Educator Award recipient Venkatesh “Venky” Shankar, Ph.D., who is the Coleman Chair Professor in Marketing at Texas A&M University, and DMA Hall of Fame Award recipient Edward J. “Ted” Spiegel, president and founder of Spiegel Marketing Associates.

DMEF will award up to $6,000 — $3,000 to the winner(s) and $1,500 to the Honorable Mention(s) — in financial assistance to be used for travel, DMA08 Conference & Exhibition attendance, data collection, and other expenses for conducting and presenting the results of research in the field.

In addition, DMEF will assist Shankar-Spiegel Award winners in collecting data from direct marketing companies, and provide generous use of databases held by or accessible to the DMEF.

“With the establishment of the Shankar-Spiegel Award and other DMEF programs, we intend to increase the level of research of direct/interactive marketing at colleges and universities and, ultimately, significantly expand the availability of studies to meet the growing demands in the marketplace,” said Marie A. Adolphe, DMEF’s vice president of programming.

Entrants will be asked to submit a proposal that is no more than 25 double-spaced pages in length, including tables, charts, and an executive summary. The proposal will be blind reviewed.

Doctoral students in marketing, computer science, economics, management science, organizational psychology, statistics, advertising and communications, strategy, management and organization, and information systems, and other relevant disciplines whose developments help advance the understanding of direct/interactive marketing, are encouraged to apply.

Proposals will be judged on their importance and potential contribution of the subject to business and academia; quality of their conceptual development; feasibility and appropriateness of methodology; and creativity. Research design aspects will play a particularly important role in the evaluation process.

Judges will include marketing academics and the executive staff of the DMEF. Winner(s) will be announced in March 2008.

For additional information, including the complete entry criteria, visit www.the-dmef.org.

Proposals and inquiries should be directed to:

Marie A. Adolphe

Vice President of Programming

Direct Marketing Educational Foundation

1120 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10036-6700

madolphe@the-dma.org

About Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF)

Headquartered in New York City, the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) works to attract, educate, and place top college students by continuously improving the teaching of world-class direct/interactive marketing and, thereby, expand and enrich the talent pool of trained, market-ready direct marketers. Established in 1966 by members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) who wanted to give something back to the community, DMEF is today a separate, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions from individuals, companies, and regional clubs and associations. Funds raised go toward a broad range of world-class educational programs.

Since its founding, thousands of students have taken advantage of DMEF’s educational programs, entering the field with the competitive edge of being “workplace-ready.” Many have gone on to become today’s direct marketing leaders, an indication of the Foundation’s success. In addition, more than 1,800 professors have participated in DMEF programs. Thanks in significant part to the Foundation’s four decades of work, today approximately 250 colleges and universities offer courses in direct/interactive marketing, 20 of which now offer specific direct marketing degrees and certificate programs. For additional information about the DMEF, its mission, and its programs, visit www.the-dmef.org.

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