College + Industry=Success for Grads

HARTFORD, Conn., July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- If you're a recent college graduate, you know it's a hard, competitive world when it comes to starting a career in your desired industry. However, some colleges can give their graduates a leg up thanks to the relationships they've forged with business and industry in booming sectors.

Graduates need to ensure that the first job they land after college is a high-quality position. There's a lot of income at stake. In fact, as CNBC notes, "Students who have a desirable job lined up after college are more than twice as likely to be earning $60,000 a year more than those graduates who took between two and 12 months."

Picking a college with solid connections to strong industries should be a major priority for any student.

CollegeValuesOnline took up the challenge to find the 30 Colleges That Have Strong Links To America's Prospering Industries

"It was industry that built this nation and industry that will lead the way into the future," says Julie McCaulley, CollegeValuesOnline Editor. "When colleges forge bonds with the leaders in the industrial sector, it's a win for both the school and for the corporations they work with. It's also a huge benefit to the students. The relationship provides the perfect segue for graduates to enter the industrial workforce with the perfect qualifications to succeed. In the end, this is a win for us all."

CollegeValuesOnline developed a multi-part methodology to determine the 30 top colleges with strong links to prospering industries.

Here's a sampling of those colleges and universities:

University of St. Thomas
In late 2020, the University announced the creation of the Department of Alumni Engagement, Corporate Engagement, and Career Development. It will help build industry connections and boost graduate employment. Some areas of the college had already been championing strong industry connections. For example, the Opus College of Business runs a range of industry connection programs and has formed strong partnerships with U.S. Bank, UnitedHealth Group, API, and others. 

University of Wisconsin, Stout
Collaboration with business is one of the University of Wisconsin, Stout's three tenets. It has formed a wide range of industry partnerships, including with businesses such as 3M, Spectrum Brands, Target, Lockheed Martin, Pepsico, IBM, and others. In fact, the college has assisted over 1,000 companies to date. These connections translate into graduate careers thanks to the fact that over 750 employers attend the college's career conferences. 

Stanford University
Stanford's University and Corporate Foundation Relations department runs dozens of industrial affiliate programs. They cover everything from aeronautics to US-Asia technology management. Other departments have built their own industrial connections. For instance, the Energy Department runs initiatives such as the Natural Gas Initiative, the StorageX Initiative, and the Sustainable Finance Initiative to connect with businesses. 

Savannah College of Art and Design
There are more than 50 industry-sponsored projects every year at Savannah College of Art and Design. The industry sponsors of these projects include Adult Swim, Coca-Cola, Fox Sports, Google, HP, NASA, and more. The primary center for this collaboration is SCADpro, which is the college's innovation studio. Its mission is to connect "current and future creative business leaders to discover what's next." 

Boston University
Boston University's industry connections have led to hospitals detecting lung cancer earlier, a stronger scientific foundation for diagnosing kidney disease, and the development of new ultraviolet LED technology. More than 130 centers and institutes in the college have grown their connections with industries. Currently, the college is engaging with industries to solve a wide range of issues. It's researching a bionic pancreas for type-1 diabetes, developing acoustic metamaterial that can cancel 94% of sound, and exploring how human hearts change as they age. 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Several divisions in the college have fostered its industry connections in different manners. For instance, the Office of Technology Commercialization helps inventors by working with the Tech Advisors Network. The Institute's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center runs a range of business link-building activities, such as hosting mentors in residence. In 2021, the Institute's technology connections received a new boost. The Massachusetts Digital Games Institute is moving to the college and launching a new $100,000 grant.

Drexel University
Drexel's Solutions Institute acts as "the gateway for organizations to connect" to the college's resources and experts. It helps leading industry organizations with corporate education, talent acquisition, research/development, and other business engagement activities. Additionally, the college's Steinbright Career Development Center connects students to a wide range of employers.

Media Contact:
Julie McCaulley
518-496-0845
[email protected]
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SOURCE College Values Online