University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’sDonaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology has students, faculty and industry partners working together in one of the nation's most high-tech engineering laboratories – the College's remarkable Virtual Reality Center.  This total immersion experience lets researchers explore three-dimensional, life-size images related to all fields of science and engineering. It's a new way of using advanced technology to solve complex problems in engineering, life sciences, data mining, construction and much more.

Why does UALR’s EIT have a cutting-edge facility like the Virtual Reality Center?  The key reason is the College's founding dean, Dr. Mary L. Good. No one in Arkansas better understands the relationship between future technology and business growth than Dr. Good. She is the former chair of the National Science Board, former undersecretary of technology in the Clinton Commerce Department and past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science – the world's largest organization of scientists.

Under Dean Good's strong leadership and with direct business community involvement, the College reaches out statewide, nationwide and internationally to serve more than 1,000 students.  These are the students that are becoming Arkansas' top-paid, most technically-skilled employees of the future.  They join students from the region's other higher education and technical school campuses, giving employers the skilled workers needed to grow their companies.

Students in the UALR EIT have come from 68 of Arkansas' 75 counties, 14 other states and 32 foreign countries.  Offering a wide range of advanced computer-based degrees, the College is directly linked to over 100 knowledge-based companies in Arkansas and surrounding states.  This linkage is through its seven active Corporate Advisory Councils and its National Advisory Board.  These diverse companies are drawn to the College to hire professional employees and seek technical solutions from its internationally-recognized professors – many of them recruited from the world's most prestigious universities.  An expanding engineering program, a new Nanotechnology Center, and plans for a major, new high-tech classroom building at UALR are all linked to economic development for the Little Rock region.  UALR’s new Nanotechnology Center will be the state’s focal point for collaboration in the exciting new world of nanotechnology research and education.  This revolutionary technology will dramatically change the future for our economy.  Thanks to UALR’s Nanotechnology Center, the Little Rock region and the State of Arkansas are getting ready now. 

More and more business leaders are already discovering UALR’s ability to solve their most complex problems and also provide them with the highly-skilled and professional workforce needed to compete in the global economy.  To learn more about how UALR’s specialDonaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology can partner with your business or organization, contact the College via email at cyberpartners@ualr.edu.  Make an appointment and visit the College's amazing Virtual Reality Center.  Experience total 3-D immersion to see how this technology is changing the way the world solves complex problems and better understand how it could possibly do the same for your company.

Companies like Acxiom, Alltel, Aristotle, BEI Sensors, Molex, Softwyre, Southwest Power Pool and AT&T are just eight of the market's high-tech employers that have representatives serving proudly on the College's advisory councils.  These companies are good examples of how the Little Rock region is dynamically moving ahead in the knowledge-based, technology-driven economy. 

Acxiom Corporation

Acxiom Corporation integrates data, services and technology to create and deliver customer and information management solutions for many of the largest, most respected companies in the world.  The core components of Acxiom's innovative solutions are Customer Data Integration (CDI) technology, data, database services, IT outsourcing, consulting and analytics and privacy leadership.  

Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, with more than 6,000 associates in locations throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Portugal.

Under the direction of industry pioneer Charles D. Morgan, Acxiom is consistently recognized for leadership in a number of areas, including technical innovation and marketplace excellence.  During the past year, the company received several honors, including CIO magazine's CIO 100 Award for IT-enabled agility, CRM magazine's CRM Market Leaders Award for data quality, The Data Warehousing Institute's 2004 Best Practices in Data Warehousing Award for Radical Data Warehousing/Business Intelligence, and Computerworld magazine's 100 Best Places to Work in IT Award.   

Acxiom is also a recognized global thought leader on consumer privacy issues. Its team of privacy specialists is dedicated to crafting and enforcing responsible privacy best practices, as well as understanding the complex issues of information flow and consumer choice. More than 10 years ago, Acxiom formed a council of its top leadership to help shape the company's approach to consumer privacy, and today a corporate-level executive is dedicated to advancing policies and overseeing compliance. 

Acxiom is a member of the Direct Marketing Association and upholds its landmark “Privacy Promise to Consumers.” Acxiom also helped found the Online Privacy Alliance and the Individual Reference Services Group and is a member of the Center For Information Policy Leadership, the Information Policy Institute, and Privacy and American Business. 

Alltel Corporation, Inc.

Headquartered in Little Rock, Alltel is the nation's fifth-largest wireless carrier with nearly 11 million wireless customers in 34 states. 
 
Alltel owns and operates America's largest network and provides the industry's only network quality guarantee by giving customers an automatic one-minute credit for any call dropped on the Alltel network. With My Circle, which is available exclusively from Alltel, customers can choose who they call for free – any number, any network.  Alltel customers can also take advantage of anytime plan changes by changing their rate plan whenever they need without extending their contract. 
 
The company is committed to the communities it serves, sponsoring numerous civic activities, sporting and cultural events and contributing to projects such as Alltel Arena, a state-of-the-art multipurpose civic center in the heart of Central Arkansas. 
 
Alltel's 2,000 Arkansas employees work daily to treat customers with fairness and respect.  Their knowledge of the communications industry enables Alltel to provide exceptional customer service as well as innovative products, services and advanced technology. 
 
Alltel is proud to be one of Arkansas' largest employers and works to give back to its communities through a wide variety of charitable and economic development endeavors. 

AT&T

AT&T is one of the world's largest telecommunications holding companies and is the largest in the United States.  Operating globally under the AT&T brand, AT&T companies are recognized as the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communications services to business and as leading U.S. providers of high speed DSL Internet, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services.  

AT&T Inc. holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider with 55.8 million wireless customers. 

AT&T Arkansas traces its business roots to the state’s first telephone exchange, established in 1879 at Little Rock. Today AT&T has more than 1,600 employees and 2,400 retirees in Arkansas, and the company serves 102 local exchanges statewide.  

The company’s direct economic benefit to the state is approximately $443 million.  In addition, AT&T, its employees and the AT&T Foundation contributed nearly $1 million to community organizations and programs in Arkansas last year. 

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and AT&T products and services is available at www.att.com.