Universities must blur the lines—between public and private, between not-for-profit and commercial, between the liberal arts and STEM—by working with industry and nonprofit organizations to create unique training, research opportunities and jobs. The world is boundary-less, and our teaching and learning must be as well.

New alliances

Florida International University in Miami is experimenting with new alliances with private industry to promote talent development, research and economic vitality. We hope that these innovative partnerships set an example for the possibilities of—to use Arizona State University President Michael Crow’s phrase—the “New American University.” Here are a few examples:

In March, the university cut the ribbon on a 130,000-square-foot, joint-use rehearsal and production studio built on campus by Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Students from three departments—theater, hospitality and business—get paid internships and hands-on experience in cruise-line operations, stage management, lighting, stage design, audio engineering and production. And our faculty members have access to proprietary marketing and sales data from Royal Caribbean’s six cruise brands to conduct original research.
In 2011, university and Miami-Dade County Public Schools launched the Education Effect in Miami Northwestern Senior High School in the Liberty City neighborhood. The partnership creates opportunities for service learning for students in environmental sciences, education, journalism and business.
Since 2007, the Ultimate Software Academy for Computer Science Education has created a training and employment pipeline for our students. It also mentors class projects, supplies adjunct instructors, provides scholarships, and writes letters in support of grants for the university. This relationship has so far resulted in 130 internships and 75 full-time jobs.
This summer, Florida Power and Light is building a solar-panel canopy over the parking lot of our engineering center. Data from the 5,700 solar panels will allow engineering students to study the real-time impact of distributed, solar-photovoltaic generation on the electric grid—research that will inform the next generation of solar power technology.

Market-relevant learning

I believe that blurring the lines is working. As public institutions, we must position ourselves as solutions centers that take responsibility in and for our community.

Instant Insights /

Partnerships promise student success in higher ed

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