SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, JPMorgan Chase Chief Administrative Officer and Operating Committee Member Frank Bisignano and New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver were among those who cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the facility, an important centerpiece of the unique corporate-university collaboration established by JPMorgan Chase and SU in June 2007.

The collaboration, which will bring hundreds of technology jobs to the region, is one of the most comprehensive between business and a research university, which leverages the best of both organizations and delivers exceptional value to both and to the community.

"We're collaborating with JPMorgan Chase on a global scale and this Technology Center provides a window into our precedent-setting relationship," says Cantor. "From pioneering, joint research and discovery, to hands-on teaching and learning, to extraordinary, real-world work experiences for our students, the whole, dynamic range of mutual benefits can be seen right here. On top of all that, this hub for global enterprise technology is bringing engaging, information age jobs to our community. This is the very picture of innovation in higher education."

"This is as an investment in the University, in the upstate New York community and in our bank," said Bisignano. "We are conducting cutting edge research and working side-by-side with the University to change the way technology and business students are trained, making them well prepared to enter the workforce after graduation."

The collaboration transformed the way the global enterprise technology courses are developed and taught. University faculty and bank employees jointly developed a new Global Enterprise Technology (GET) minor for the University and conducted applied research projects with students in areas such as cyber-security and risk management. JPMorgan Chase executives enhance the curriculum via guest lectures and close collaboration with SU's new Center for Information Security and Assurance Technology. Nearly 450 students are enrolled in courses this semester within the collaboration's minor, and interest is growing every semester since last fall.

JPMorgan Chase also offers short and long-term internships to students for school credit and in some cases for pay, to challenge and maximize talent. Interns in the extended internship program have the opportunity to work in offices around the United States and abroad. Thirty students are currently engaged in academic year internships with the company.

The technology center, which seats 125 workers and occupies the first two floors of SU's Lyman Hall, fosters an environmentally efficient and collaborative work environment. It is a "paperless" office with minimal paper storage; has innovative technology features such as wireless and virtual desktops, and state-of-the-art collaborative and individual workspaces.

JPMorgan Chase opened the application process this summer for more than 100 center-based new technology jobs. Forty-two full-time employees are currently based there, with more to be hired in the coming year. Employees are working on information technology and cyber security, risk analysis and application development for JPMorgan Chase and its lines of business. Other positions within the center include managing or assisting with the daily technology operations and support.

Candidates may apply for jobs online at careers.jpmorganchase.com/career/careerhome, by clicking on the "Experienced Opportunities" section, selecting "Search and Apply for Jobs" and refining the search location to Syracuse, N.Y.

The collaboration is illustrative of SU's Scholarship in Action vision, which encourages collaborations that both enrich student and faculty scholarship and that address critical issues facing the world.

Laura Perdiue from Fairfield, Conn., a senior majoring in marketing management and information management and technology, was engaged in a GET extended internship throughout the spring semester and the summer and worked in New York City.

"The entire process was a learning experience, and each day I was exposed to new technologies, problems or situations where I had to absorb, ask questions and help solve whatever was ahead," Perdiue says.

Chancellor Cantor also announced today that Bisignano will receive the Chancellor's Medal for Outstanding Achievement from SU. Bisignano is being recognized for his visionary leadership in forging an innovative form of university-private sector partnership represented by the JPMorgan Chase-SU collaboration, which yields not only enhanced opportunities for the students and faculty of the University and for the corporation, but for the community.

The Chancellor's Medal is given to individuals in honor of their extraordinary contributions to the University, to their areas of expertise and/or to the community, recognizing qualities to which the University urges SU students to aspire. Previous honorees include: Vice President Joseph Biden; "The Syracuse Eight;" renowned acting and activist couple Ruby Dee and the late Ossie Davis; Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi; the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; the late, eminent American composer Aaron Copland; The New Yorker magazine columnist and best-selling author Kenneth Auletta; and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.

The award will be conferred at a formal ceremony in New York City on a date to be determined.