UCLA Anderson has launched the new Easton Technology Management Centre, with the $11 million of funding that came from James L. Easton, Chief Executive Officer at Jas. D. Easton, Inc. The centre will help broaden the base of technology opportunities across the UCLA campus.
The new center expands the Easton Technology Leadership Programme, established by Jim Easton at UCLA Anderson in 2009, that was designed to develop strong business leadership skills in students with engineering and technical backgrounds.
The centre expands the scope of the programmes and offers students with both technical and non-technical backgrounds, as well as faculty, alumni and industry professionals, access to the latest innovations in technology management. Currently the program includes nearly 430 participants with 30 per cent of the 2016 class interning at technology firms this summer.
“I saw a need for leaders in technology, engineering and manufacturing, with knowledge and talent to create innovative products, who would benefit from UCLA Anderson by learning skills in management, communication and negotiation to run their companies,” says Easton.
A UCLA graduate with a degree in engineering, Easton has been a generous benefactor to UCLA Anderson and across the university. He was awarded the UCLA Medal of Honour, the university’s highest honour bestowed on an individual for extraordinary achievement, last year.
Guillaume Roels, UCLA Anderson associate professor and the new centre’s faculty director, outlined the centre’s strategic goals; to create a hub for innovative research and scholarship in technology leadership, to increase programme outreach and develop closer ties with UCLA’s engineering and medical schools as well as technology industry professionals, and to foster curriculum innovation in technology leadership.