Subject: managing enron ' s relationships with the universities
jeff ,
i would like to get on your calendar ( together with jeff shankman ) for 15 -
30 minutes
to discuss the results of my visit at the wharton school with tom piazze .
a separate message about this visit will follow .
i would like also to talk to you about the way we manage our relationships
with
different universities . historically , we were rather passive customers of
the academic institutions , trying to hire the best students and limiting our
presence
on the campuses mostly to the recruiting trips and campus receptions .
we should rethink the way we work with universities . the efforts to get
the best students look more and more like a hand - to - hand combat and often we
are not
very successful . it is critical that we increase our presence on the campuses
and this can be accomplished in a number of different ways :
1 . involvement in research projects . for example , we are currently
underwriting two research
projects at stanford university , involving ph . d . students of professor
nicholas bambos
( a top expert on communications networks ) . we shall participate in formulation
of the projects ' objectives and will be given access to the results .
involvement in research projects allows us to obtain
access to current scientific developments in the leading universities and
also to lock - up some very
promising students . most companies in the high tech industries have such
programs .
2 . lectures and presentations by enron employees . practically every
presentation
i have made so far at different universities resulted in a number of resumes
and hiring decisions .
it is important that students get exposed to enron early in their academic
program . in many cases ,
the best students have already made up their mind by the time we approach
them during their
senior years .
3 . visits by faculty members in enron .
closer cooperation with the universities has many advantages in addition to
getting the best students
and obtaining access to current research . the universities are very important
in shaping public opinion
on the issues critical to enron ' s future ( especially in the area of
deregulation and design of new markets ) .
currently , the relationships with many leading academic centers depend on
personal commitment of a number
of overworked enron employees . in many cases , there is no continuity and
focus .
i want to recommend a creation of a special function ( vp or md level )
responsible for coordinating
our relationships with the universities . this function would be separate from
our analyst / associate
program . i have many ideas how this function could be structured .
vince