MEDIA RELEASES

Dominican University Apparel Design and Merchandising students are putting their education to the test by creating window displays for five Harrison Street-area businesses in the Oak Park Arts District. The displays will be installed beginning March 25.

The 20 students in Melissa Carr’s retail promotions and visual merchandising class are working in groups to create the window displays for participating businesses such as Baby Blend Tee, Bead in Hand, Christa’Phers, Pamela Penney Textile Arts and Majamas Boutique.

The object, says Carr, is to give students “real life experience listening to clients and making them happy.” With only a $50 budget for each store, the student designers will attempt to wow passers-by, enticing them to come in and peruse the store’s merchandise. Business owners, who will consult with the students throughout the process, will have a chance to participate in grading the results.

Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Dominican offers 50 undergraduate academic programs in the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences and 15 graduate programs through the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, the Brennan School of Business, the School of Education, the Graduate School of Social Work, and the School of Leadership and Continuing Studies. In the 2008 issue of America’s Best Colleges, U.S. News & World Report again ranked Dominican University in the top tier of Midwest master’s level universities and as a “great school at a great price” for the tenth consecutive year.