All of us at Virginia Tech are proud to be rated one of the best in the nation by corporate recruiters surveyed by the Wall Street Journal. In the College of Engineering we are especially proud that we were ranked fifth in the nation.
Why did we rate so high? According to the Journal, recruiters value programs whose students are hardworking, practical-minded, and have gotten hands-on experience in their field before graduation. Recruiters also appreciate institutions that work hard to establish and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships with industry.
It is a priority for our college to excel in both those areas, so we were thrilled to get such positive feedback on the job we are doing.
We believe partnerships between companies and universities benefit everyone involved. Companies provide advice, access to equipment, and financial support that makes it possible for students to participate in extraordinary learning projects. Many of those students go on to become valuable employees at firms that supported the projects on which they worked.
Partnerships between faculty members and industry are just as important. We are one of the nation’s largest issuers of undergraduate engineering degrees. Industry-faculty relationships help our professors prepare students for today’s challenges, not yesterday’s. Partnerships also ensure the discoveries our researchers make will move out of the lab and into the market – a beneficial situation for all involved.
One excellent example of the fruits of corporate support for our students and researchers is CHARLI, a humanoid robot built by Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dennis Hong and the talented students in his Robotics and Mechanics Laboratory, which was featured in Popular Science and many other media outlets.
Plenty of other examples of partnership-fueled innovation can be seen in the stories on our giving news Web page, which I hope you will visit. I also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss ways we can work together.
Sincerely,
Richard C. Benson
Partnership Opportunities
Many corporations have identified Virginia Tech's College of Engineering as a key corporate school. They have recognized the excellent training our students receive and value our students as future employees. Many corporations have identified faculty with expertise that can be used to enhance their products. If you are interested in developing a relationship with our College, please contact the College Development Office to learn more.
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