Industrial Relations

Because a crushing courseload is not enough, I have committed myself to chair the "industrial engagement" team of SDM's Industrial Relations Committee. Today I finally found out what I have gotten myself into and it seems better-defined than initially feared. The outreach chair figures out ways for companies to partner with SDM. Some companies sponsor students to attend SDM with full salary, which is a pretty maximal level of engagement. But there are plenty of other ways for a company to benefit from a relationship with the program. Here are a few we have identified:

• Be speaker. SDM sponsors regular events with real-world speakers reflecting on their experiences. Share your wisdom and make contact with talented students.
• Be a class project. Most of our class work involves longform team projects in product development, market research, and business strategy. Students like solving real-world problems; put a team to work for you.
• Be a judge. Many of our projects and presentations are judged by industry experts. See what we have done and evaluate it.
• Be a visit. Schedule a tour of your facility and show off what you are most proud of. Ask us tough questions about what we see.
• Hire an SDM. Our business skills, engineering understanding, and industrial experience make us a strong fit for any organization.
• Sponsor a thesis or a research project. Develop a relationship with an SDM student and solve your toughest problems.
• Request a research summary. With 20 years of SDM thesis work, chances are that there is already a strong body of research in your area. We can consolidate previous work in a compact, targeted format.

My next trick: find companies who are interested in these relationships. There is much to look forward to in the next few months.