Corporate Open House Engages Industry Partners
Over 100 representatives from 80 companies attended the inaugural UT Dallas Corporate Open House to learn about driving research and innovation, engaging talent and enhancing collaboration with the University.
Corporate representatives discuss the importance of engaging with higher education institutions.
“We were created out of the need to supply the Metroplex with talented scientists and engineers,” said UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson. “The University of Texas at Dallas has accomplished just that. In fact, 91 percent of UT Dallas students earn degrees in the STEM disciplines, as well as business, and over two-thirds of our graduates stay in the surrounding area.”
A panel featuring industry representatives drove conversation about how corporate partners can harness University strengths and facilitate mutually beneficial relationships in three main areas: recruiting talent, research collaborations and campus and student engagement.
Panelists included:
- David Arreaga MS’12, PhD’15, CEO of Ares Materials
- Peter Balyta MBA’03, vice president of academic engagement and corporate citizenship and president of education technology at Texas Instruments
- Camille Garcia, senior public affairs manager at State Farm
- Steve Zimmel, vice president and head of integration center of excellence at Ericsson
“I think for anyone interested in stepping up their recruiting and hiring, UT Dallas will [help them] achieve some level of success,” Balyta said. “But it’s doing the other things that will really maximize this success — really engaging with faculty, being present on advisory boards, engaging in some type of research collaboration — that’s how you become a thread [in the] DNA of the University. And that really gives you a leg up when it comes to hiring.”
From left: Dr. Peter Balyta MBA’03, Interim Provost Dr. Inga Musselman, Steve Zimmel, David Arreaga MS’12, PhD’15, President Richard Benson and Camille Garcia
Arreaga also provided a unique view of corporate engagement, sharing the story of founding Ares Materials on campus with University support.
“We’ve been traveling to different places all over the world, and now the UT Dallas brand name is something that people are starting to recognize, not only in the U.S., but also in Germany, Japan and many other places,” Arreaga said. “People no longer think about UT Austin anymore; they recognize Dallas.”
Corporate representatives also attended breakout sessions and heard from students involved with UTDesign, a corporate-sponsored capstone senior design program, and the newly established EPICS program, which allows undergraduate students to solve real engineering problems to benefit the community.
“If you don’t provide UT Dallas students with a chance to solve real challenges your company faces, we won’t have the opportunities to learn about the technological advancements you need to thrive in your industry,” said Aaron Galceran, a student who recently completed a corporate-driven, IT assignment for his senior capstone project.
If you or your company is interested in engaging with UT Dallas, please contact the University’s corporate relations team.
Media Contact: Alexandra Hopkins, UT Dallas, (972) 883-5488, alexandra.hopkins@utdallas.edu