What are some of the things USC is doing in the area of industrial relations?
MN: I mentioned DEN. We believe our Internet technology is the most advanced distance education interface anywhere. We offer more than 20 M.S. degrees through DEN and currently have about 800 students. Virtually all of them are working engineers whose tuition is paid by their employers – top technology-oriented organizations like Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Qualcomm, NASA, Intel, Ericsson and ChevronTexaco. To remain technologically competitive, companies have to constantly upgrade the skills of their engineers. Lifelong learning is probably important for everyone, but it is definitely critical for engineers. We have also been forming partnerships with industry on technology endeavors. We formed the Center for Interactive Smart Oilfield Technologies with ChevronTexaco to apply information technology tools to extracting more petroleum from existing oilfields. We started the Pratt & Whitney Institute for Collaborative Engineering with Pratt & Whitney and Korean Air to develop new aircraft
