The Daily Collegian's Board of Directors last night selected senior sales representative Jennifer Grimm as the manager of The Daily Collegian's business division.

Grimm will begin her one-year term as business manager April 28.

The board chose Grimm after interviewing three applicants from the business division followed by an hour and a half of closed-door deliberation. Grimm was chosen above current office manager Robert Gavazzi (sophomore-cable/broadcast) and sales representative Michael Peterson (sophomore-business administration) for the business manager post.

Grimm said she is ready for the position, and looks forward to a period of learning under the guidance of Jan Miller, who currently holds the position.

Miller, who also serves on the board, said it was a difficult decision for the directors to make.

"We had to weight a lot of different qualities . . . we had to find out what the Collegian needed now," Miller said.

As the new business manager, Grimm said she did not think the transition of management would be difficult. As business manager, she will face the challenging task of guiding the Collegian through its move from Carnegie Building to a new downtown location in the James Building on South Burrowes Street.

Grimm said she hopes the move downtown will help enhance the Collegian's image with downtown businesses by making the paper more recognizable as a separate, independent entity from the University. She added that the closer proximity to the Collegian's downtown advertisers will help create more of a "professional environment" than could be achieved at Carnegie Building.

Board President John Sulzer said he was impressed with the competition this year.

The Board's decision process was "about as difficult as it normally is," Sulzer said, adding that applicants in recent years have been consistently qualified. Applicants are judged on their presentation during the interview, the quality of their past experience, personality, capabilities, and the proposals they submit to the board. The proposals describe programs and ideas the applicants hope to implement if chosen for the manager position, Sulzer said.

As Grimm prepares to take over as business manager, she will be faced first with the task of choosing a Board of Managers, which will coordinate the various departments within the business division.

Miller described the task as one of the most difficult she encountered as business manager.

Determining who is qualified for positions is one of the most difficult tasks the business manager faces, Miller said. Not only is it one of the first obligations they have to their new position, it is one of the first tests of the new manager's ability to deal with people on a personal and managerial basis, she said.

Miller described herself as "very task-oriented" when she first joined the Collegian, but said her management style later became more oriented toward individuals. She said interaction with people has taught her the most, and it is the most enjoyable part of her job.