Degree Name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Program

Educational Leadership

Date of Award

May 1992

Abstract

This study examined the interactions--(1) research grants and contracts, (2) faculty consultation, (3) employee training, (4) student internships and co-ops, (5) universities sharing firm facilities, and (6) firms sharing university facilities--between higher education and high-tech industries in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia using multiple regression modeling. The purpose of the study was the development of a vision of what the future could be and the strategies to successfully overcome the threats and enrich the opportunities that exist between higher education and high-tech industries. Data were collected from the engineering and engineering technology faculty at Tennessee Technological University, East Tennessee State University, Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and selected high-tech firms in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The analytical process included four phases: (1) data collection and preparation, (2) reduction of independent variables, (3) model refinement, and (4) model validation. The analysis suggested that large universities with well-defined organizational channels seemed to have an advantage in obtaining research grants and contracts from large firms that were strongly involved in research and development. Likewise, faculty members seemed to use the facilities of large high-tech firms that were near to the university. More importantly, the study emphasized the mutual benefits that universities and industries could share through university-industry interactions if each could overcome formidable barriers that have been established through tradition, culture, and bureaucratic processes.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

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