United Technologies Corporation (UTC), a global leader in high technology products for the building and aerospace industries, has committed $250,000 to sponsor Bentley University’s Honors Program. The partnership supports the university’s talent investment strategy which leverages a combination of career services, faculty, and corporate partnerships to develop student talent.

“UTC’s financial support will have a significant impact on our honors students and will also allow UTC greater access to that talent,” says Susan Brennan, executive director of corporate relations and career services. “This is more than a financial gift, it is a hands-on approach where UTC will open doors for students in the form of research and cultural enrichment, and maintain an active presence on campus at networking events.”

UTC will launch its relationship with the students from the time they begin the Honors Program in the fall of their freshman year and through to their job search and graduation. The partnership will:

• Encourage students to pursue especially complex or long duration research projects and to begin research earlier in their academic cycle on in-depth and technical topics.
• Provide small awards to support general student research, conference presentations, and travel.     
• Support cultural activities that supplement course work, including travel to Boston and other cities to attend concerts, lectures, theater and museums. 
• Support the annual Honors Conference where students present their capstone projects to faculty, senior academic leaders, and their families.
• Support the Honors Welcome Dinner where incoming freshmen honors students, upper-class honors students, faculty, and administrators hear from UTC senior executives and network with UTC professionals.

“This partnership with UTC opens new doors for students to pursue types of research that may not have been possible in the past,” says Honors Program Director, Professor Aaron Jackson.

UTC has a long-standing relationship with Bentley University, with nearly 100 alumni in its ranks and several alumni and parents holding senior-level positions. Its prestigious Financial Leadership Program recruits on campus each year resulting in five Bentley graduates from the Class of 2013 joining the company this year. Bentley also places it graduates into UTC’s Information Technology Leadership Program.

“UTC is proud to partner with Bentley University,” Peter Longo, chief financial officer, UTC Propulsion & Aerospace Systems. “As an alumnus and Bentley parent, I have a deep appreciation for the strong curriculum, exceptional faculty, and support structure in place at Bentley and look forward to enhancing our existing relationship with a more hands-on approach with the students and honors program.”

The partnership with UTC is just one example of the innovative career services strategy in place at Bentley.  As part of its educational mission, Bentley is focused on helping students fully realize their career potential through several creative programs:

• A four-year approach called “Hire Education” that focuses on themes tied to each college year: Explore, Experiment, Experience and Excel
• A vertical advising system that organizes counselors by major and industry
• A career development seminar offered freshman year that is taught in close collaboration with corporate partners and lays the foundation for a lifetime of career management.

About United Technologies Corporation (UTC)

UTC is a diversified company that provides a broad range of high-technology products and services to the global aerospace and building systems industries. Its commercial businesses are Otis elevators and escalators and UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a leading provider of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, fire and security systems, building automation and controls. Its aerospace businesses are Sikorsky aircraft, Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines and UTC Aerospace Systems aerospace products. The company also operates a central research organization that pursues technologies for improving the performance, energy efficiency and cost of UTC products and processes.