UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012 - (Page 26)

And of course, the local tech industry and school are deeply entwined. “Our business community complements the areas of achievement that are most pronounced at UTD, such as engineering, math and science, and a strong business school,” said Bill Keffler, Richardson’s city manager. “As our employment has grown, those same corporations are utilizing more consequentially the benefits of the school for training their employees and recruiting new employees.” Universities are powerful growth engines, bringing jobs and intellectual and cultural capital to surrounding communities. But not all town-gown relationships are happy ones, especially if universities forget their neighbors and make decisions from on high, said Eugene P. Trani, former president of Virginia Commonwealth University. Trani profiled 17 town-gown relationships in his book, The Indispensable University: Higher Education, Economic Development, and the Knowledge Economy (written with Robert D. Holsworth). Many cities and schools have to overcome formidable animosity before they learn to live peaceably together. And when the center became The University of Texas at Dallas by joining The University of Texas System in 1969, everyone from the mayor to the man on the street was thrilled. “Look at any college city anywhere in the country, and you’ll find that the growth of the community is directly tied in with the presence of the college in the city,” Cliff Cassidy, president of Richardson Savings and Loan, told the Richardson Daily News. “This new university is the greatest thing that has ever happened to this city,” agreed Walter Massie, who owned an office supply store. More than 40 years later, UT Dallas and Richardson are still a powerful and productive alliance. People closest to the happy couple see a cooperative, tandem effort for the economic and cultural development of both. Richardson’s civic leaders are cheerfully resigned to the fact that the school is called UT Dallas and not UT Richardson. When a mural was planned for the Student Union Pub patio, Dr. Darrelene Rachavong, vice president for student affairs, asked students to decide on images that reflected their experience at UT Dallas. “The first thing on this group’s list was ‘Dallas,’ ” said Rachavong. “They wanted the skyline for the background.” Throughout weeks of work with the muralist, she would say occasionally, “What about Richardson?” The students didn’t object. They even saw a need, but couldn’t come up with something visually tied to the city. Nevertheless, as a direct outgrowth of the North Dallas technology corridor, UT Dallas perfectly reflects Richardson, the city for which it is not named. Both town and gown are scientifically inclined, well-educated and ambitious. Half the city’s work force has at least a bachelor’s degree. Seventy-four percent work in white-collar jobs. Six of the 10 largest employers in Richardson are high-tech companies. Even the ethnic makeup of the city and school are similar, with whites and Asians the largest percentages of both populations. Mural, Student Union Pub Patio 26 utdallas.edu http://www.utdallas.edu

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012
Contents
On Campus
From the Lab
Arts and Culture
Courtside Success
Athletics
Research Is Teaching
Town and Gown
In Your Footsteps: An Alumni Perspective
Alumni Notes
In Memoriam
Hindsight

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012