Collaborative partnership
Career Services hosts a day of UD-JPMorgan Chase events
6:54 p.m., Oct. 1, 2012--Guy Chiarello, chief information officer of JPMorgan Chase, shared his ideas on the future of the collaborative partnership between the leading financial firm and the University of Delaware during a luncheon talk held in September in the Trabant University Center.
Established in 2009, the collaboration between UD and JPMorgan Chase seeks to build a pipeline of technology talent through University curriculum, enriching internships and joint research projects to drive innovation.
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The luncheon discussion was part of a JPMorgan Chase daylong collaboration session on Sept. 10 held in cooperation with the UD Career Services Center.
Chiarello compared the energy on campus to the vibrancy of New York City, where he has worked for nearly three decades.
“I have to stay vibrant within our enterprise because Chase is one of the top financial services firms, and in my business, a person has to relearn everything every five years,” Chiarello said. “That is why it is exciting and interesting. It’s also part of the reason why I’m here to ask for your help.”
As CIO of a firm that spends 8 percent of its annual revenue on technology, Chiarello said he wants JPMorgan Chase to be ranked as one of the world’s top technology entities.
“That’s what I think about coming to work every day. Building that entity means that you have to have great partnerships with people like faculty, who can think beyond what we have to think about each day in business,” Chiarello said. “That’s why the partnership between Chase and UD is a great research and development opportunity for faculty here.”
Challenges that demand creative thinking and innovative approaches include cloud, mobile, social, data, security and service center operations, Chiarello said.
“We get over a billion calls to our service centers every year. Most of them are from people who feel that have been treated unfairly, or that there was a mistake, or they have a question,” Chiarello. “How you handle that is critical.”
Chiarello also called for the University to send the company more students with the training and technology skills needed to help solve such infrastructural challenges.
“This is what I want in return for the funding we’ll provide for faculty investment and funding research,” Chiarello said. “I want the business organization and the engineering organization to be engaged. I want the best students that the University of Delaware can put out, great students that will help us accomplish the goals we are talking about here today.”
The day also included a coding competition held in Smith Hall, and a coffee and chat with student leaders in Evans Hall.
Nadege J. Oluikpe, JPMorgan Chase U.S. recruiting director, said feedback from all participants indicated that the day’s events were exceptional in highlighting the company’s commitment to engage with UD in the area of research and recruiting over the next several years.
“Students walked away with a good understanding of the opportunities available to them at Chase,” Oluikpe said. “This includes our culture and the skill sets that we value in the organization.”
Jennifer McDermott, JPMorgan Chase lead for the University Engagement team for UD, said the collaboration between the company and UD focuses on career opportunities for students, research, curriculum enhancement and community initiatives.
“Monday’s on-campus events reaffirmed JPMorgan Chase’s commitment to the program,” McDermott said. “The events also remind us that great things can happen when high technology meets higher education.”
A meeting with JPMorgan Chase Innovation Center interns and a tech talk by Chiarello preceded a panel discussion at the Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware.
Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, interim dean of the College of Engineering, said that the luncheon and a follow-up meeting with UD President Patrick Harker mark the beginning of a partnership that may have significant implications for UD.
“My enthusiasm is informed by a piece of historical fact -- in the same vein in which the 20th century growth to prominence of the University’s College of Engineering was spurred in part by research collaborations and many other fruitful interactions with DuPont, I am convinced that the prominence of the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and relevant portions of the College of Engineering in the 21st century will also be spurred on by the collaboration we have just embarked upon with JPMC,” Ogunnaike said. “Our faculty and students will have access to truly challenging, real-world problems, and the data and processes that go with them, while our JPMC colleagues will have access to the keen minds and expertise of our faculty and students. I am truly excited to see how this cross-college collaboration between Lerner College and the College of Engineering and this interaction with JPMC will shape the future.”
Bruce Weber, dean of the Lerner College, said the visit from JPMorgan Chase senior executives was a great way to initiate a new set of curricular and research activities connecting the University with a leading global bank.
“JPMorgan Chase is a major employer in the state of Delaware and has hired UD graduates for many years,” Weber said. “This close relationship has now evolved to truly support the faculty and students while they are here on the UD campus.”
Weber also said that Lerner College welcomes the chance to expose its students to the practice of technology management in the financial sector and the chance to provide a world-class organization with Lerner College’s brand of thought leadership.
Matthew Brink, director of the UD Career Services Center, said that the success of the day underscores the progress made over the past two years between UD and JPMorgan Chase.
“The partnership has had a direct and significant impact on the lives and careers of UD students. They hired 109 students last year, with the goal beyond that for this year,” Brink said. “It is a privilege to contribute to this partnership by facilitating meaningful interactions between UD students and JPMorgan Chase professionals.”
Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photos by Lane McLaughlin