3:14 p.m., Oct. 3, 2007--University President Patrick Harker told the semiannual General Faculty Meeting Monday, Oct. 1, that the University of Delaware is on the brink of becoming one of the top universities in the country, an asset both to the state and to the nation.

Harker spoke after memorial tributes to Dorothy A. Kennedy, former associate professor of nursing, and to Marvin B. Sussman, Unidel Professor Emeritus of Human Behavior.

He noted that this week the University was hosting a meeting of representatives from Historically Black Colleges and Universities at which the university's “world class” Department of Art Conservation was assisting them in preserving their significant photographic collections.

Harker pointed out that the University is already a driving force in economic development within the state, citing three existing knowledge-based partnership examples: the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, the Delaware Technology Park and the Avian Biosciences Center. The University and the state are “nimble, creative and entrepreneurial,” he said, which makes such knowledge-based partnerships possible. The partnerships are the model for how business will be accomplished in the 21st century.

Higher education is key to knowledge-based partnerships with industry and government, Harker said. Government will support research to add to a body of knowledge, and universities can transfer new technologies developed on campus to industry, where they can be produced, marketed and put to good use in society.

Harker urged faculty to attend a one-day conference on this topic, “Creating Knowledge-Based Partnerships,” to be held Friday, Nov. 2, at Clayton Hall. Among the speakers at the conference, intended to encourage partnerships between university, government and business leaders, will be Chad Holliday of DuPont Co. and Abby Joseph Cohen of Goldman Sachs. To learn more about the conference, as well as how to register, visit [www.udel.edu/partnerships].

Bobby Gempesaw, dean of the Lerner College of Business and Economics, next reported on the findings of the Economic Development Taskforce. Gempesaw was chairman of the 14-member taskforce, which looked at the current impact of the University on education and teaching, research and scholarship, and outreach and public service.

Gempesaw said the survey was intended to identify gaps and opportunities and to make recommendations for future partnerships. He noted that the role of the University in economic development included (1) providing an educated and skilled work force; (2) conducting research with implications for state, regional, national and global economies; (3) providing a rich array of outreach and public services related to its educational mission; (4) providing a portal for knowledge transfer, innovations and intellectual properties; and (5) creating new knowledge and promoting entrepreneurship and partnerships.

The taskforce found that UD produces graduates from nationally recognized, top-ranked programs; numerous partnerships between UD and public/private sectors currently exist; and public policy and community business development efforts are wide-spread--from Cooperative Extension to the Institute for Public Administration.

Article by Cornelia Weil