About

Everyone needs negotiation skills

Dick Thurmond came to ODU with a vision of empowering women through negotiation skills training. We have made his vision central to our core mission. Consistent with Thurmond's vision, research shows that when women and minorities receive negotiation training it reduces salary gaps and other negotiated inequities. While negotiation education and research are traditionally housed in the marketing and management departments, the skills we offer can add value to people far beyond the business school. It is our mission to provide inclusive negotiation education to all ODU students and to people in the broader Hampton Roads area. The Thurmond School of Professional Sales and Negotiations began as the Thurmond Negotiations Lab (TNL), which was formally launched in 2019. Thanks to the generosity of Dick Thurmond, the TNL grew into the Thurmond School in 2022.

Our Communities:

The Thurmond School of Professional Sales & Negotiations serves four communities: (1) The local community, (2) Old Dominion University students, (3) Business professionals, and (4) Academic scholars of negotiations and interpersonal selling. In addition to college courses, we offer corporate education programs customized to business professionals and general community education programs available to anyone. Additionally, we host events like the ODU Sales Slam Competition that provide students with hands-on sales practice. Finally, we promote and disseminate research related to our mission.