UD Named to Boeing Co.'s List of Preferred Universities

The strength of the University of Dayton’s engineering research has earned it a spot on the Boeing Co.’s list of preferred universities. Boeing will support UD’s research and work with the University in areas where the two have a common interest such as aviation.

“Boeing has streamlined its list of qualified graduate and undergraduate schools to a list of approximately 150 that are best aligned with Boeing’s hiring, continuing education and research needs,” said Dale Ramezani, Boeing’s university relations director.

The designation will boost current and future student research opportunities with Boeing. The company also will cultivate UD students for open Boeing positions, according to Eugene Beckles, Boeing’s director of international analysis modeling simulation and experimentation. Boeing employees and their children are now eligible for special scholarships if they choose to attend UD.

Beckles added that Boeing hopes to include more UD engineering faculty in its Boeing Welliver Fellowship program. The program invites about 12 faculty nationwide per year to work with Boeing to gain a better understanding of how Boeing applies university research to its planes. Boeing hopes faculty share that information in the classroom to better prepare today’s students for engineering, information technology and business careers. UD graduate materials engineering program chair Danny Eylon participated in the program in 2006.

“We are delighted with this partnership and look forward to advancing the field of aviation,” UD School of Engineering Dean Joseph Saliba said. “This collaboration will positively affect the education and experience that our students will receive, and will offer our faculty and researchers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects that will make a positive difference in peoples’ lives such as safer and more efficient airplanes.”

UD is second in federally sponsored materials research and total materials research. It is 14th in the nation for federally funded engineering research and 28th in overall engineering research.

October 4, 2007