LAKELAND, Fla. 鈥� Forty-four innovating firms have expressed interest in partnering with IM体育官网, according to a report released today by the university.
This level of business interest in IM体育官网鈥檚 newest university follows IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 first Industry Partner Summit on September 17, 2013.
The event brought together nearly 100 decision makers from innovating companies including Harris Corporation, Cisco Systems, Boeing Spectrolab, Staples and Bright House Networks for a workshop to help shape the university鈥檚 curriculum and spur industry collaboration. Of the participating companies, 34 specifically expressed interest in offering internships to IM体育官网 Poly students, and 30 indicated interest in hiring future IM体育官网 Poly graduates. Additional areas of interest for industry partners included assisting with joint research, teaching, product development and service on the university鈥檚 advisory board.
A keynote luncheon featuring John Couch, Apple鈥檚 Vice President of Education, took place after the morning workshop and drew an audience of more than 200 industry leaders from 107 companies.
鈥淲e鈥檙e extremely pleased with the industry enthusiasm and feedback we received at this event and are confident that we鈥檒l have dynamic, hands-on opportunities to offer our students as a result,鈥� said Sean Malott, IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Director of Business and Education Partnerships.
During the summit, company representatives engaged in roundtable discussions to define priorities for degree concentrations including Big Data, Cloud Virtualization, Health Informatics, Cyber Gaming, Machine Intelligence, Nanotechnology, Semiconductors and Economic Development. These curriculum development breakout sessions resulted in valuable documented feedback for the Academic Affairs department to consider, including suggestions for the use of high-tech equipment, internship opportunities and instruction style.
鈥淚M体育官网 Poly is committed to equipping students with the knowledge and experience they need to meet the demands of our state鈥檚 evolving technological landscape,鈥� said IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ghazi Darkazalli. 鈥淲orking directly with industry leaders allows us to design an effective curriculum that will be responsive to their employment needs.鈥�
The summit was sponsored by IM体育官网 High Tech Corridor Council, Harris Corporation, Prolexic, Liberty Capital Advisors, Protected Trust and Bob and Carmen Stork.
VIDEO: IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 First Industry Partner Summit (http://bit.ly/1eMWHCC)