LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UCLA Anderson launches the new Easton Technology Management Center, thanks to gifts from James L. Easton totaling $11 million that will broaden the base of technology opportunities across the UCLA campus.
The new center expands the Easton Technology Leadership Program, established by Jim Easton at UCLA Anderson in 2009, that was designed to develop strong business leadership skills in students with engineering and technical backgrounds. The new Easton Technology Management Center expands the scope of the programs and offers students with both technical and non-technical backgrounds, as well as faculty, alumni and industry professionals, access to the latest innovations in technology management. Currently the program includes nearly 430 participants with 30% of the 2016 class interning at technology firms this summer.
It was Easton’s experience as a CEO, designing and manufacturing high-performance sports equipment, which first led him to recognize the need for business leadership education. His observations took shape with his first job in the aircraft industry and later at Jas. D. Easton, Inc., his father’s arrow manufacturing company, where he held several positions before becoming chairman and CEO of one of the world’s largest sports equipment manufacturers, Easton Sports, Inc.
“I saw a need for leaders in technology, engineering and manufacturing, with knowledge and talent to create innovative products, who would benefit from UCLA Anderson by learning skills in management, communication and negotiation to run their companies,” says Easton.
A UCLA graduate with a degree in engineering, Easton has been a generous benefactor to UCLA Anderson and across the university, has served on the UCLA Anderson board of visitors since 1988 and was named one of the founding members of Entrepreneurs’ Hall within the Anderson complex. Last year, he was awarded the UCLA Medal of Honor, the university’s highest honor bestowed on an individual for extraordinary achievement.
“Jim Easton has been a visionary, creating new education approaches at UCLA Anderson since he first joined our board, and later developed the Easton Technology Leadership Program,” says UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian. “With the creation of the Easton Technology Management Center, Jim expands the impact of his vision by positioning our students to lead and drive change in the rapidly changing tech landscape of California and the world.”
Guillaume Roels, UCLA Anderson associate professor and the new center’s faculty director, outlined the center’s strategic goals:
- To create a hub for innovative research and scholarship in technology leadership
- To increase program outreach and develop closer ties with UCLA’s engineering and medical schools as well as technology industry professionals
- To foster curriculum innovation in technology leadership
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management is among the leading business schools in the world, with faculty members globally renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Located in Los Angeles, gateway to the growing economies of Latin America and Asia and a city that personifies innovation in a diverse range of endeavors, UCLA Anderson's MBA, Fully-Employed MBA, Executive MBA, Global Executive MBA for Asia Pacific, Global Executive MBA for the Americas, Master of Financial Engineering, doctoral and executive education programs embody the school's Think In The Next ethos. Annually, some 1,800 students are trained to be global leaders seeking the business models and community solutions of tomorrow.