The T&M program is well past the start-up phase of the program and we have entered an operational steady state with both junior and senior classes actively involved in the program. Managing the events and classes for these two groups has kept me and the staff busy, but it has also brought a heightened energy level. The enthusiasm of our incoming class has been outstanding. They continue to raise the bar from an already lofty level set by our initial class and have thoroughly impressed all of corporate guests who have joined us for our fall semester classroom and extracurricular events. Our senior class has set a great example for incoming T&M students and are now engaged in their capstone projects for their final semester.  

We had a 100% renewal rate by our corporate affiliates and each company has provided a challenging and exciting capstone project. This renewal rate and the fact that the capstone projects reflect key business strategies that impact the bottom line are good indicators of the value our corporate affiliates place on the program and the confidence they have in the ability of the student teams.  

To help students manage their capstone projects, we have produced a comprehensive guide. The expectations and delivery dates along with formal requirements are clearly outlined for the project reports and presentations. In addition, we worked extensively with the students during the fall on how to overcome the challenges of working in multidisciplinary teams. Success in this type of team is often challenging for  students and requires continued collaborative efforts on the part of the faculty, students, and corporate affiliates

We also have planned exciting events for our junior year class. All students will take Managing Product, Service and Technology Development, and management students will also take a Cutting-Edge Engineering Seminar. In January we held a resume writing and interview skills workshop and, a social/team-building event.  In April, corporate affiliates will be invited to a “welcome” picnic to meet our incoming T&M Class of 2012.  A best-ball golf tournament will be held the afternoon before our spring corporate advisory panel meeting on April 30th.  Thus, we have several opportunities for our corporate affiliates to interact with T&M students.  

The Technology & Management Program has attracted not only exceptional students, but positive attention from alumni and corporations. Lawson “Jack” McConnell Sr., IM 1959, has established the McConnell Family Endowment for the T&M Program with the purpose of awarding scholarships. ConocoPhillips established two $2,500 scholarships for T&M engineering students. Thanks to a $20M anonymous challenge grant to the College of Business, we now have a goal of endowing ten T&M scholarships by attracting qualified gifts that will be matched dollar-for-dollar with the anonymous gift. The availability of scholarships will help us to raise the quality and quantity of our applicants even higher and will reduce the financial burden that some of our students face when the requirements of the T&M program extends their length of study.  

To summarize, we continue to build upon the momentum established in the first year of the program and all of our indicators point to a continued increase in the value of the program for both our students and our corporate affiliates. Thank you again for your continued support as we work to make this program truly exceptional.