2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper is a current research project that explores the existence of metrics for gauging university/industry partnerships. Collaboration between industry and universities is a common practice at many universities in the United States, and often emphasizes serving local industry to provide students who are prepared to work in that particular industry. These programs are also often heavily promoted and positively viewed as fulfilling a university’s mission to serve its local region, and to produce students that are prepared to enter the workforce.
This research project specifically examines if university/industry collaboratives in one state evaluate an industry’s behavior and policies before agreeing to engage in a partnership. Do universities in this state consider an employer’s wage structure, employee safety record, and workplace culture before agreeing to prepare students to work in that environment? If such metrics exist, what do they include? If they don’t exist, should they? Do universities have any responsibility to ascertain whether the employer is providing a safe and equitable environment and fair pay before agreeing to such partnerships? The paper will survey collaboratives at private and public universities to determine if these metrics exist, and examine possible areas for developing metrics if they do not.