Building effective industrial relationships: the Foundation Coalition experience

The focus of industrial relationships for the Foundation Coalition in its first two years has been different by design at the coalition level and the individual institutional level. At the coalition level, a National Advisory Board was formed with a broadly defined role that includes providing input relevant to the Coalition's vision and long-range strategic directions; providing input on desired student outcomes to guide curriculum development; and helping promote acceptance and support of curriculum change among the various affected constituencies. The Board has provided assistance in defining student outcomes, strategic planning, budgeting, and locating internships for Coalition students. Future plans are to involve the Board more in development efforts to obtain financial matching support from industry and private foundations. At the institutional level, industry interactions have focused on specific activities to bring industry personnel to campus and vice versa, i.e. to give students and faculty the opportunity to visit various industries. Industry visitors have been especially helpful in establishing and increasing support for the Coalition goals and programs among students and faculty at individual institutions. Some of the industry visits arranged by individual schools have been expanded when appropriate to include representation from multiple Coalition schools. The Coalition continues to attempt to expand and better utilize the industrial interactions outlined above, particularly its interactions with the National Advisory Board.