University of Texas at Austin Conducts Orientation Session at DSMC
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
P A R T N E R S H I P S I N E D U C A T I O N
University of Texas at Austin Conducts
Orientation Session at DSMC
Science and Technology Commercialization
Graduate Degree Now Offered at DSMC’s Fort
Belvoir Campus
CO L L I E J. JO H N S O N
n December 16, 1995, Col. After two years of work, Knight and
O William E. Knight, USA,
extended an enthusiastic and
long-awaited welcome to the
first candidates for the Uni-
versity of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin)
graduate degree in Science and Tech-
nology Commercialization. Knight, the
his staff pulled together many of the
legal, logistical, and administrative
details to make the new educational
partnership between UT-Austin and
DSMC a reality. An enthusiastic sup-
porter of this joint educational venture
from the onset, Knight stressed that
Dean of College Administration and “partnership” was indeed the key
Services at DSMC’s main Fort Belvoir word. “This is a perfect match for a
campus, was joined by representatives partnership between UT-Austin and
of UT-Austin and the DSMC Com- DSMC because UT is an innovator in
mandant. Together, they conducted trying to bring technology to the mar-
the first Virginia Orientation Session ketplace quickly. We [DSMC] are also
for students enrolling in UT-Austin’s innovators in assisting the acquisition
Science and Technology Commercial- reform effort, which is helping not
ization Masters Program, which began only the federal government but,
classes on January 26, 1996. specifically, the Department of Defense
to work better, smarter, faster, and
Making It cheaper...you’re here to learn this pro-
Happen cess,” Knight told the assembled stu-
This mutually beneficial educational dents, “and you’ve come to the right
partnership was preceded by months place.”
of rigorous preparation and restructur-
ing on the part of UT-Austin and A Dream Come True
DSMC. Realizing that a critical core of “A dream come true” is how the
technology managers in the Washing- DSMC Commandant, Brig. Gen.
ton, D.C. area could benefit from such Claude M. Bolton, Jr., USAF,
a program, UT-Austin and DSMC described the UT-Austin/
developed and structured the curricu- DSMC educational partner-
la, schedule, and facilities so that stu- ship. “From the beginning
dents could remain on the job while when Bill Knight and I first
pursuing a graduate degree in Science looked at the proposal, it
and Technology Commercialization. sounded like a great idea,
Of special note is the fact that this is because a lot of folks in this
the first degree program UT-Austin area want to know how to do
has offered totally outside the state of this type of work. And thanks
Texas. to UT Austin, and the hard work of
Johnson is Managing Editor, Program Manager, DSMC Press.
52 PM : MARCH-APRIL 1996Bill and his staff, you, our students, pus.” He had generous praise for UT- Award for Excellence. Reciprocating,
now have the opportunity to take this Austin, Knight and his staff, calling Sullivan presented Bolton with one of
important step in achieving your grad- their joint cooperation “key to bringing the first UT-Austin/Fort Belvoir T-
uate education goals. You are the rea- this graduate program altogether for shirts, commenting, “It’s one of the
sons that we’ve worked so hard over all of you.” Referring to the increased shirts that hopefully many of our stu-
the last couple of years to make this importance of dual use-technology dents also will wear to remember that
educational partnership happen.” and how to get it to the marketplace, they’re part of a new group, an experi-
he commended UT-Austin for being at ment, changing the learning processes
Bolton went on to say that, “We the forefront educating the profession- in higher education.“
[DSMC] look at this as a grand oppor- al acquisition workforce in this vital
tunity for the College, working with acquisition reform initiative. About the IC2 Institute
UT-Austin, to bring the business of The Science and Technology Commer-
technology and commercialization, Introducing Dr. Robert S. Sullivan, cialization graduate degree program
together with the latest in learning the- Director, IC2 Institute, UT-Austin, has deeply embedded roots in UT-
ories and classroom equipment, to Bolton presented him with a brass Austin’s IC2 Institute. Sullivan first
your learning experiences on this cam- coin — the DSMC Commandant’s gave an overview of the Institute’s
framework. The Institute’s acronym
stands for “Innovation, Creativity, and
Capital.” It was founded by Dr. George
Kozmetsky, who had
previously co-founded
BRIG. GEN. CLAUDE M. BOLTON, JR., Teledyne Corporation
COMMANDANT, DSMC, PRESENTS DR. — the large, multi-
ROBERT S. SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR, IC 2 national, multi-busi-
INSTITUTE, UT-AUSTIN, WITH A BRASS ness industry, with
strong ties to the
COIN REPRESENTING THE DSMC COM-
defense industry tech-
MANDANT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE.
nology base.
THE OCCASION MARKED THE FIRST VIR-
GINIA ORIENTATION SESSION OF UT-
Kozmetsky, seeking to
AUSTIN’S NEW MASTERS PROGRAM IN parley his past suc-
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMER- cesses and profits tak-
CIALIZATION. (SEE INSET FOR COIN ing knowledge from
CLOSE-UP.) the laboratory to the
marketplace, plunged
those assets into
establishing the IC 2
Institute 17 years ago. As the IC2 Insti-
tute Director, he looked at many issues
including venture capital and start-up
firms.
“The IC2 Institute,” said Sullivan, “is
now more than UT-Austin. In fact, its
programs span the United States in
terms of our activities within the Insti-
tute. And one very important piece of
the Institute is the Master of Science
Degree in Science and Technology
Commercialization, which we’re now
focusing on. Ultimately, you’ll realize
that it’s at the core of what we do.”
Austin Technology
Incubator
Another important piece of the Insti-
tute’s success, according to Sullivan, is
Photo by Richard Mattox PM : MARCH-APRIL 1996 53its Austin Technology Incubator, evolving all across the country includ- ence and technology. How do we do it
which basically takes knowledge out ing Johnson Space Center, Houston, better? What would build a better
of the laboratories, commercializes Texas; San Jose, California; Charleston, infrastructure? “It doesn’t do us any
that knowledge, and sets up compa- South Carolina; and Bechtel, North good to discover something,” said Sul-
nies. Currently, the Institute has about Las Vegas, Nevada. livan, “if we’re not getting the informa-
29 companies in its incubator; only tion out.” And that is where dissemina-
two have failed. Global Alliances. The Institute plays a tion enters the picture. The bottom
role networking commercialization line, according to Sullivan, is if a dis-
“Our easy access to support structures processes and procedures around the covery does not go into the market
and other infrastructures necessary for world. Its horizons extend from work- [dissemination] and society does not
launching these companies has been ing military defense processes in the benefit, no wealth or prosperity shar-
critical.” Sullivan went on to say that in Ukraine, to sharing technologies and ing results. Sullivan stressed that the
Austin, the UT-Austin Technology processes in Cuba, to incorporating Institute wants to create social and cul-
Incubator has directly created between software companies in Brazil into the tural enrichment. And to achieve that
800 and 1,000 jobs that are technolo- Austin Technology Incubator. end, all three processes — research,
gy-based and high-paying. And the discovery, dissemination — are insepa-
multiplier effect for that in terms of Telecommunications. The Institute rable.
other related jobs is very significant for recognizes that the processes of com-
the community. “In fact,” he acknowl- municating and learning are changing Summarizing his presentation, Sullivan
edged, “two years ago, the Austin drastically. The goal is to distribute told the students the Institute’s prima-
Technology Incubator was named the learning worldwide; provide individu- ry mission is to “enhance understand-
top incubator in the United States.” als with the right knowledge when ing of the processes of creating eco-
they need it and where they need it; nomic wealth and prosperity sharing.
But That’s customize the information for cus- Clearly, this technology transfer pro-
Not All tomers; and maintain a mutually satis- cess is at its heart. We want to not
Sullivan continued his discussion of fying partnership with customers and only tell you what we know, we want
the Institute with a recap on the amaz- institutions. to know more ourselves.”
ing array of projects and services origi-
nating from the Institute. Among Conferences, Seminars, Executive Sullivan referred to commercialization
them: Programs. The Institute runs confer- as the core to the entire commercial-
ences, seminars, and executive pro- ization process,.“...because we create
Capital Network, TCN. This is a grams all over the world, including industry, take discovery, and get it to
“matching mechanism” where the Russia and China, as well as major the market. It then creates wealth and
Institute matches wealthy individuals cities in the continental United States. prosperity sharing — and we want to
looking for investment opportunities increase the likelihood of teaching you
with a technological industry suited to Focus for Tomorrow how to succeed in these areas as well
their capital, risk, and other parame- Sullivan then outlined for the assem- as being successful at doing that our-
ters. This Network has now become bled students exactly what the Insti- selves.”
the largest of its kind in the United tute’s focus would be during their
States, very successful, and completely graduate education: Focus on the
self-sustaining. Forbes, Fortune, and Faculty
Business Week have published articles Continual Transforming Process. Sullivan then introduced Professor
highlighting the Network’s successes. “Focus on not only what skills are nec- Timothy W. Ruefli, Management Sci-
essary today to carry out our jobs, ence and Information Systems Depart-
Technology Commercialization Cen- develop a foundation or a process so ment, UT-Austin Business School. In
ters. The National Aeronautics and that we’re continually transforming addition to his professorship at the
Space Administration was the Insti- ourselves — not only trying to keep up Business School, Ruefli is an IC2 Insti-
tute’s first experiment outside of with change, but actually causing tute Fellow and Frank C. Erwin
Austin to bring the technologies in, change. We want to be at the fore- Endowed Centennial Professor.
provide the best technology for the front.”
market, provide an infrastructure and According to Ruefli, his primary
support, and increase the likelihood of Research, Discovery, Dissemination. responsibility is to support the educa-
the company’s success. The commer- These three areas are a vital part of the tional partnership between UT-Austin
cialization process is now growing so Institute’s mission. Research and dis- and DSMC by coordinating faculty for
rapidly that, according to Sullivan, the covery focus on the laboratory process the program, and promoting a rapport
Institute could double its size and still — what it takes to be more successful between students and faculty that fos-
not satisfy all the demand. Centers are in the process of commercializing sci- ters a thriving learning environment.
54 PM : MARCH-APRIL 1996Welcoming the assembled students,
Ruefli said, “This degree program is
DR. ROBERT S. SULLIVAN
designed for working professionals… Director, IC2 Institute
We expect you will learn a lot from
each other as part of the learning expe- The University of Texas at Austin
rience. We’re bringing together
a diverse group of people with r. Robert S. Sullivan became director of
various experiences, and we promote
interaction.”
Ruefli went on to say that the overrid-
ing focus of the course will be on sci-
ence and technology as a key element
D the IC2 Institute at The University of
Texas at Austin on June 1, 1995. He
has been an IC2 Fellow since 1987
and is now the IC2 Harry H. Ransom
Centennial Fellow. He also serves as a member
of the faculty of the UT-Austin Graduate School
of Business and holds the J. Marion West Chair
of organizational competitive strategy. for Constructive Capitalism.
According to Ruefli, “We see science Sullivan was dean of the Graduate School
and technology commercialization as of Industrial Administration (GSIA) at Carnegie management. In particular, his research has
keys for organizations to reinvent Mellon University (CMU) from 1991-95 and is focused on network simulation, implementation
themselves, as the basis for technology an adjunct professor in the Information Technol- strategies for computer integrated manufactur-
entrepreneurship, and as the engine ogy Center in the CMU School of Computer ing, and job scheduling and sequencing.
that drives the social and cultural Science. His publications have appeared in such
enrichment resulting from economic Under his leadership, the ranking of GSIA journals as Management Science, Operations
among business schools rose significantly. He led Research, The International Journal of Production
wealth and prosperity sharing. The
GSIA through complete reengineering of the Research, Naval Research Logistics Quarterly, and
ability to get things off the shelf and
school’s educational and research programs. This Annals of Operations Research. He has written
into the market is the key to competi- complex effort included the application of two books with colleagues: Service Operations
tion, and rapid innovation is becoming advanced technology in the field of finance, a Management (McGraw-Hill, 1982) and Quanti-
the key to survival.” focus on increasing manufacturing productivity, tative Systems for Business (Prentice-Hall, 1986),
and the creation of experimental and distance accompanied by a software product of the same
Masters Program Structure learning. The reengineering effort also encom- name, which has appeared in a number of ver-
Ruefli promised the students a 12- passed development of one-of-a-kind innovative sions since the first publication.
month program that will be an degree programs forged by combining GSIA’s Sullivan is a member of the editorial
intense, perhaps painful experience. own resources with other Carnegie Mellon boards of two academic journals: Interfaces and
The Institute will administer the pro- departments and those of other universities. the Journal of Manufacturing and Operations
His administration stressed global educa- Management. He has served as chairman of The
gram with a Friday/Saturday schedule,
tional interactions, the application of technology Institute for Management Sciences (TIMS) Col-
designed to let students work regular
to the GSIA learning experience, “just-in-time lege on Production and Operations Management,
hours and still continue their educa- learning,” entrepreneurship, and the commercial- chairman of the Special Interest Group in Manu-
tion. He also spoke of communication ization of new technologies. facturing Management of the Operations
skills and team building, two impor- From 1976 to 1991, Dr. Sullivan was on Research Society of America (ORSA), and chair-
tant tools integrated into the curricula. the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, man of the review panel for the Design and
Speaking of the types of material cov- where he was Joe B. Cook Professor of Manage- Computer Integrated Manufacturing Program of
ered in the program, Ruefli gave a brief ment and associate dean for research and aca- the National Science Foundation. He is a mem-
review of the course material: demic affairs in the Graduate School of Business. ber of the Task Force on Business School Educa-
He served as codirector of the Center for Tech- tion Committee of INFORMS (merger of TIMS
• What is the technology transfer and nology Venturing, director of the Bureau of Busi- and ORSA), a member of the Advisory Board of
ness Research, and associate director of the the Business School of the Adolfo Ibanez Univer-
commercialization process?
Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program in sity (Chile), and 1996 president of the Greater
• What are the stages of commercial-
the College of Engineering. Austin Quality Council.
ization and why are they critical? Sullivan was the first professor in the His professional affiliations include the
• How are innovation and creativity Management Department to win both the busi- American Institute for Decision Sciences, the
stimulating? ness school’s undergraduate and graduate Institute for Management Sciences, and the
• How do we create scientists with awards for teaching excellence. He was also Operations Management Association.
entrepreneurial minds? involved in the design of the Manufacturing Sys- A graduate of Boston College in mathe-
• How do we get scientists in the lab tems Engineering Program and was a lead faculty matics, Sullivan holds a master’s degree in pro-
to work with people who can inte- member in the design of the Systems Manage- duction management and quantitative methods
grate things into the market? ment MBA program, which was funded with a from Cornell University and a doctorate in opera-
• How can technology markets be $2.7 million grant from the IBM corporation. tions management from Pennsylvania State Uni-
Sullivan’s research interests center on versity.
identified and defined?
manufacturing systems management and project
• What is the process of assessment,
and how can capital expertise be
PM : MARCH-APRIL 1996 55accessed and applied to the com- ogy Commercialization Degree, Ruefli working with people. He noted that
mercialization process? stated, “We don’t have a specific nar- Kozmetsky, co-founder of the C2 Insti-
• How do we define the metrics of row channel that we’re aiming at. tute, will also be involved.
performance and assess risk? We’re talking about managers or direc-
• How do state and federal govern- tors of labs or technology divisions; Wrap-up
ments support R&D and commer- leaders of technology-based compa- Concluding his remarks, Ruefli said
cialization? What’s likely to happen? nies; and companies working with that the classes are small enough that
How can we capitalize on this? Department of Defense, Department of instructors can accommodate a rea-
• What is the impact of the legal sys- Energy, and the federal labs. We’re sonable amount of individual attention
tem and intellectual property rights? aiming at consultants holding local, and focus. He then opened a student
• What constraints are placed on state, and national positions with question-and-answer session, followed
commercialization? industry consortia. We’re also looking by registration and a tour of the
• What do you have to know to make at science and technology entre- Defense Systems Management College
commercialization successful? preneurs themselves and technology library, Management Deliberation Cen-
• How can you apply the commercial- venture capitalists.” ter, Learning Resource Center, and
ization process as a competitive classrooms.
weapon? Ruefli assured the students that UT-
Austin had assembled an exceptional Editor’s Note: For further information,
Potential Career Paths and group of faculty to teach the courses. prospective students should
Course Instructors The instructors were selected for their call 1-800-218-6782 or E-Mail:
Referring to the career paths available knowledge, eminent qualifications to exec.ms@icc.utexas.edu.
to those with the Science and Technol- teach the subject matter, and skill in
A R G E N T I N E D E F E N S E A T T A C H É V I S I T S D S M C
n 18 January, 1996, we
O welcomed Lt. Gen. Carlos
Zabala, Argentine Defense
Attaché, to the Defense
Systems Management Col-
lege (DSMC). Zabala’s visit was pre-
cipitated by Secretary of Defense
William J. Perry’s creation of the
Argentine-U.S. Defense Bilateral
Group in November of 1994 with
the goal of cementing the close rela-
tions that have developed between
Argentina and the United States
since the 1990 Gulf War, in which
Argentina participated. Argentina is
in the process of restructuring its
defense policy making apparatus, LT. GEN. CARLOS ZABALA, ARGENTINE DEFENSE ATTACHÉ,
which includes, but is not limited A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL
to, the Ministry of Defense. They
SECURITY AFFAIRS, AND MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE STAFF
have identified an urgent need for trained civilian defense
REVIEW COURSE MATERIALS DURING THE ATTACHÉ’S ORIEN-
experts. This was the primary focus of Zabala’s visit. They are
TATION VISIT TO DSMC ON JANUARY 18, 1996. PIC-
interested in sending students to DSMC as well as having
DSMC send instructors to Argentina to reach a larger audi- TURED FROM LEFT: LT. COL. BEAUCHAMP, AIDE TO LT. GEN.
ence at lower cost. This issue is likely to be central in the sec- ZABALA; COL. WILLIAM E. KNIGHT, U.S. ARMY, DEAN OF
ond meeting of all the Ministers of Defense of the Southern COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICES, DSMC; LT. GEN.
Hemisphere scheduled for October in Argentina. Perry host- CARLOS ZABALA, ARGENTINE DEFENSE ATTACHÉ; PROFES-
ed the first meeting, and will attend the second. SOR GIBSON LEBOEUF, HOLDER OF NAVY CHAIR, DSMC
EXECUTIVE INSTITUTE; DR. FRED RUIZ-RAMON, INTERNA-
Editor’s Note: LeBoeuf, whose native language is Spanish, TIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS, INTER-AMERICAN REGION.
acted as official interpreter throughout the visit.
56 PM : MARCH-APRIL 1996 Photo by Richard MattoxYou can also read
