Industry leaders honored for research partnerships with UMass Lowell

LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell recently recognized Kronos and Raytheon for their commitment to the success of the university with its first-ever Preferred Partners honors.

The companies were presented with awards for demonstrating their exceptional support of UMass Lowell’s students, research, academics and athletics at the university’s first Celebration of Industry Partners on April 5. The event was attended by members of the UMass Lowell community along with more than 90 industry partners from across New England, including 22 that were recognized as Strategic Partners.

Both top honorees Kronos and Raytheon collaborate with UMass Lowell in a variety of ways, from research and corporate education to internship and co-op opportunities for students. In addition, they work with the university to access important expertise and other resources, including the university’s Core Research Facilities, that help them meet their business goals.

“Partnering with industry and preparing our students for careers with leaders like Raytheon and Kronos is part of our institutional DNA and is the spirit that has guided our university since it was founded nearly 125 years ago. While industries that fuel our economy have evolved, our determination and ability to meet their needs has only accelerated,” Chancellor Jacquie Moloney said in addressing the honorees at the event. “We are profoundly grateful to you for your support, your counsel and the chance to work with you to drive innovation, job creation and the economy of our region and the entire Commonwealth.”

Raytheon, which employs approximately 700 UMass Lowell alumni, also offers students opportunities for real-world experience through internships and co-ops and has endowed student scholarships. The company’s collaboration with the university also includes partnering on the Raytheon-UMass Lowell Research Institute (RURI), where researchers, faculty and students work shoulder-to-shoulder to advance fields including flexible and printed electronics. Christopher McCarroll of Raytheon, a UMass Lowell alumnus who serves as RURI’s co-director, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

Mark Russell, who earned a degree in electrical engineering at UMass Lowell and now serves as vice president of Engineering, Technology and Mission Assurance for Raytheon, is a member of UMass Lowell’s Francis College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and was the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.

“The best proof of the strength of the UMass Lowell and Raytheon partnership is the hundreds of the university’s alums who help the company advance technology as a global innovation leader,” said Russell. “For decades, the partnership has been strengthening both organizations, evolving and growing over the years as different technologies and research areas come to the forefront. And it is providing UMass Lowell’s talented graduates with a great place to come and grow their careers – including myself.”

Among the ways Kronos and the university work together is through the Kronos Scholars Co-op and Internship Program specifically for UMass Lowell students through which many have gone on to work for the company after graduating. More than 200 of Kronos’ approximately 1,500 local employees attended UMass Lowell. The company also supports academic and athletic programs.

Aron Ain, CEO and chairman of Kronos, accepted the award on behalf of the company, a global provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions. Ain, who has been with Kronos since 1979, has helped to build the company to one relied upon by more than 35,000 organizations in more than 100 countries. The company has been recognized for innovation both for its products and for its corporate culture.

“UMass Lowell has been an incredible partner to Kronos. Our company is fortunate to have such a stellar university so close to our new corporate headquarters in Lowell,” said Keri Vadala, director of talent acquisition at Kronos and a UMass Lowell graduate. “Chancellor Moloney and UMass Lowell leadership as a whole are wonderfully supportive of students and our local community. It is quite an honor to receive this inaugural recognition alongside Raytheon.”

In addition to the awards to Raytheon and Kronos, the event recognized 22 companies with the new Strategic Partners designation for their work with UMass Lowell: Analog Devices, BAE Systems, Boston Scientific, Circle Health, Dell Technologies, Digital Federal Credit Union, Draper Laboratory, E Ink Corp., Enterprise Bank, Fidelity Investments, Follett Corp., Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, Johnson & Johnson, MFS Investment Management, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers for the Merrimack Valley, Pfizer, Saint-Gobain, SI2 Technologies Inc., Skyworks Solutions, Teradyne, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Triton Systems.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. http://www.uml.edu

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