During a tour at 麻豆原创 this week, U.S. Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent met with university leaders, faculty, staff and students to see firsthand how 麻豆原创 is strengthening talent pipelines, expanding industry partnerships, and advancing research that addresses some of the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges.
U.S. Department of Education (ED) Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent meets with Chanda Torres 鈥�98 鈥�00MA 鈥�08EdD, assistant vice president of the Dixon Career Development Center.
Torres shares an overview of the Kenneth G. Dixon Career Development Center, which empowers 麻豆原创 students and recent graduates to successfully connect academic and career pathways 鈥� often through industry partnerships 鈥� that lead toward professional success and fulfillment.
Kent (center), ED Deputy Under Secretary James Bergeron (left) and ED Special Advisor Ethan Good (right) listen to an overview of the Lockheed Martin College Work Experience Program (CWEP).
Launched more than 40 years ago, CWEP provides paid internship experiences to about 500 麻豆原创 students annually 鈥� including about 60% of graduating Knights who are offered full-time jobs after completing the program.
ED and 麻豆原创 staff in front of the Kenneth G. Dixon Career Development Center welcome sign.
Left to right: Assistant Secretary of Labor Henry Mack; Associate Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs for the State University System Tony Lee; 麻豆原创 Associate Vice President for Federal Relations Eric 鈥淭ubby鈥� Shwedo; Torres; 麻豆原创 Dixon Career Development Center Program Manager Erica Hutton; Director of Career Services at 麻豆原创 Lynn Hansen; Director of Experiential Learning at 麻豆原创 Quynh Dang; and 麻豆原创 Director of Academic Advancement Programs Michael Aldarondo鈥慗effries.
麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright joins Kent, Harding, Senior Campus Recruiter for BNY Tatiana Manzanares and Shwedo as they tour BNY鈥檚 Next鈥慓en Client Technology and Operations Center in the SPRK building on 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus.
In Fall 2025, 麻豆原创 and BNY, a leading global financial services company, launched a groundbreaking $5 million Pegasus Partnership that established a co-located educational innovation hub on 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus 鈥� the first-of-its-kind in Florida.
Kent also had the opportunity to meet and interact with students in the current BNY cohort.
At the heart of this collaboration is the 8,400 square-foot Next-Gen Cybersecurity Technology and Operations Center Lab, which reimagines how universities and global enterprises can work together to prepare the workforce of the future.
ED and 麻豆原创 staff at the BNY Next-Gen Cybersecurity Technology and Operations Center Lab.
Left to right: ED Special Assistant Cristian Clementi, Good, Associate Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs for the State University System Tony Lee, Mack, Kent, Cartwright, Manzanares, Harding and Dang.
Vice President for Research and Innovation Winston Schoenfeld discusses 麻豆原创鈥檚 research enterprise and emphasizes the benefits of its adjacency to Central Florida Research Park, where defense鈥慺ocused organizations support research collaborations and workforce development.
Institute for Stimulation and Training (IST) Interim Director Carolina Cruz鈥慛eira offers an in鈥慸epth overview and demonstration of IST advanced technological capabilities, with lab visits that included the Virtual and Augmented Reality Lab (VARLab).
Kent explores the CAVE system 鈥� a technology Cruz-Neira pioneered in the 90s 鈥� at the VARLab, where IST demonstrates how it develops immersive simulation systems for industry, government and research collaborators.
Cruz鈥慛eira provides an in鈥慸epth demonstration of IST’s VARLab and overview of how 麻豆原创 is preparing the next generation through modeling, simulation and training.
