Newswise — NEWARK, DE – JPMorgan Chase and the University of Delaware (UD) today celebrated the grand opening of the “JPMorgan Chase Innovation Center” at UD, an on-campus facility where students and faculty will work side-by-side with bank employees on joint applied research projects. The Innovation Center will also provide on-campus job opportunities for UD students.
UD President Pat Harker, JPMorgan Chase Chief Information Officer Guy Chiarello, United States Senator Chris Coons and Delaware Lieutenant Governor Matthew Denn were among those who cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the facility, an important centerpiece of the unique corporate-university collaboration established by JPMorgan Chase and UD in December 2009.
The collaboration, which will create job opportunities for students, is one of the most comprehensive between a business and a research university. It will leverage the best of both organizations and deliver exceptional value to the community.
“This collaboration with JPMorgan Chase is important for two reasons: Delaware needs a workforce well qualified for today’s complex technology jobs, and students need the skills to enter those jobs ready to succeed,” says President Harker. “Students will be able to strengthen their technology skills through the GET curriculum, through new experiential learning opportunities and through year-round internships at the Innovation Center.”
“This center represents an investment in the University, the Delaware community and the future of JPMorgan Chase,” said Guy Chiarello, JPMorgan Chase Chief Information Officer. “We are working side-by-side with the University to change the way technology students are trained, making them better prepared to face the challenges of an ever-changing technology environment. We are committed to increasing the work experience opportunities for UD students at the Innovation Center as well as at our Wilmington and Christiana Center facilities.”
The partnership is transforming the way technologists are trained. University faculty and bank employees jointly developed a new Global Enterprise Technology (GET) minor and curriculum for the University. JPMorgan Chase executives will enhance the curriculum through guest lectures and close collaboration with UD’s new Institute for Financial Services Analytics, which will focus on the analysis and optimization of processes that occur in the field of financial services. The bank committed $5 million to support the collaboration.
The innovation center is equipped with full JPMorgan Chase network connectivity and a TelePresence unit, allowing students, faculty and researchers to meet with JPMorgan Chase employees across the globe.
Following the ribbon cutting, participants toured the Innovation Center. JPMorgan Chase Chief Information Officer Guy Chiarello also presented on the topic of “Technology Innovation” in the atrium of Lerner Hall.
About JPMorgan ChaseJPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.2 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. It has more than 6,100 employees working in Delaware and its card services business is headquartered in Wilmington. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers, small business and commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management and private equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.
About University of DelawareTracing its heritage back to 1743, the University of Delaware is a state-assisted, privately controlled institution with an enrollment of more than 16,000 undergraduates, 3,500 graduate students and 1,000 professional and continuing study students. The University offers degrees in a broad range of disciplines across seven colleges, and is a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institution. The University is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a research university with very high research activity -- a designation accorded fewer than 3 percent of U.S. colleges and universities.
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