Executives from more than 80 companies attended the first-ever Cornell University Corporate Executive Forum April 30 at the Statler Hotel. Among the attendees were, from left, Hewlett-Packard CEO Lewis Platt, who co-hosted the forum with Cornell President Hunter Rawlings; Donald Greenberg, professor of computer graphics; and Gene Resnick, vice president of Schering-Plough Research Institute. Adriana Rovers/University Photography
By Darryl Geddes
Colleges and universities can learn valuable lessons from their corporate counterparts, especially on how to become more competitive globally, said Cornell President Hunter Rawlings.
Speaking before more than 80 corporate executives and Cornell faculty, administrators and staff members at a forum April 30 on campus, Rawlings said universities must make changes -- like those made in the corporate sector -- if they are to remain globally competitive. He noted that competition for faculty, students, grants, contracts and corporate funding has become more intense.
"While the world's children come to U.S. research universities, we cannot afford to be complacent," said Rawlings during remarks at the first Cornell Corporate Executive Forum, held at the Statler Hotel. "Resources have ceased growing, and we have not become price sensitive; we must change."
Rawlings suggested that the expansionist attitude of many universities, which has lead to spiraling tuition costs, growth in disciplines taught and institutions created, may need to be re-examined.
The Corporate Executive Forum, coordinated by Cornell's Office of Corporate Relations, offered executives, managers, Cornell faculty, administrators and staff members an opportunity to exchange and test ideas on issues confronting both the corporate and education sectors.
Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Lewis Platt, who earned his bachelor's degree at Cornell, co-hosted the forum with Rawlings. "Change is the only constant in today's business world," Platt said. "Change occurs when dissatisfaction about status quo exceeds anxiety over change."
One area driving change today is technology, which, according to Platt, has made it easier for employees to communicate with each other. "The organizational chart is irrelevant today," he said.
Gone are the days when employees had to talk to their directors who, in turn, had to relay information to their bosses. Today corporate presidents hear directly from workers on the assembly line via telecommunications, Platt said.
The technology also is changing the work environment and the work day, as information is now accessible anywhere and at all hours of the day. It also is changing the relationship between corporations and customers. "There is a new intimacy with customers, as many are on-line, communicating with us directly," he said.
Technology, too, will help advance the relationship corporations have with colleges and universities. "The pace of change makes it essential that we offer ongoing education to our employees," Platt said. "Technologies are emerging that will enable education to be available anytime and anywhere."
Platt challenged colleges and universities to find a way to educate people in their homes or in the workplace.
In a preforum survey of issues faced by companies, executives said they wanted university graduates to be continuous learners to help keep pace with the changing marketplace. Other suggestions on how universities could be of more assistance to corporations included:
·providing lifelong learning systems for graduates and employees,
·better use of universities for continuing education by executives,
·developing stronger collaboration with
university resources to meet business needs,
·preparing students to work in virtual, geographically dispersed teams,
·increasing diversity of advanced degree graduates and increasing the supply of minority science-trained personnel, from senior managers to bench-top scientists,
·keeping higher education costs and finances under control and
·urging faculty to produce value-added, applied research rather than academic research.
The forum also focused on dominant corporate issues, the competitive work force, the workplace of the future, innovation and technology, and the empowered or expendable corporate employee.
"The exchange of ideas that took place during the forum will continue," said Nick Komanecky, director of corporate relations for Cornell. "Several working groups have been created to examine various issues, among them concerns over intellectual property, corporate best practices, business-industry needs, future forums and the 'best deal' for Cornell graduates."
Among the corporations represented at the forum were Allied Signal, AT&T, Bausch & Lomb, Chase Manhattan, Citi Corp, Eastman Kodak, General Motors, GTE, IBM, Intel, Merck, Motorola, Sprint and Xerox.