LAKELAND, Fla. – Forty-four innovating firms have expressed interest in partnering with Florida Polytechnic University, according to a report released today by the university.
This level of business interest in Florida’s newest university follows Florida Poly’s 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’s curriculum and spur industry collaboration. Of the participating companies, 34 specifically expressed interest in offering internships to Florida Poly students, and 30 indicated interest in hiring future Florida Poly graduates. Additional areas of interest for industry partners included assisting with joint research, teaching, product development and service on the university’s advisory board.
A keynote luncheon featuring John Couch, Apple’s Vice President of Education, took place after the morning workshop and drew an audience of more than 200 industry leaders from 107 companies.
“We’re extremely pleased with the industry enthusiasm and feedback we received at this event and are confident that we’ll have dynamic, hands-on opportunities to offer our students as a result,” said Sean Malott, Florida Poly’s 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.
“Florida Poly is committed to equipping students with the knowledge and experience they need to meet the demands of our state’s evolving technological landscape,” said Florida Poly’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ghazi Darkazalli. “Working directly with industry leaders allows us to design an effective curriculum that will be responsive to their employment needs.”
The summit was sponsored by Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Harris Corporation, Prolexic, Liberty Capital Advisors, Protected Trust and Bob and Carmen Stork.
VIDEO: Florida Poly’s First Industry Partner Summit (http://bit.ly/1eMWHCC)