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 Left: Kent Black |
Kent Black Receives First Jonsson School Award For
Distinguished Leadership
Jonsson School Dean Bob Helms presented the first Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science Award for Distinguished Leadership to Kent Black Friday, March 2. Black, now retired as chief executive officer of United Space Alliance, was instrumental in winning the financial and political support of the North Texas community for the Jonsson School’s creation in the mid-1980s.
The award is named in honor of J. Erik Jonsson, a former Dallas mayor who also co-founded Texas Instruments and the University of Texas at Dallas.
Helms told a gathering of Jonsson School supporters that Black took up the cause of engineering education at UT Dallas following the May 1984 release of the Dallas Mayor’s Task Force on High Technology, which called for an engineering school at UTD.
“The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science would not have become a reality without Kent Black,” Helms said.
With at least two other strong engineering schools already established in the region, the case for what would become the Jonsson School needed an articulate advocate who was respected by community, political, and business leaders.
“We needed someone who was objective, serious, and had a long-term vision about North Texas’ future and the role engineering would play in it,” Helms said.
According to Helms, Kent Black was that person.
The UT-System Regents had already given the go-ahead for a school of engineering and engineering degrees at UTD when the matter came before the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in mid-1985. Black channeled community and business support into a concentrated effort that culminated in the Board’s contingent approval of the school in July 1985.
Black convinced executives in what became the Telecom Corridor of the importance of UTD’s new engineering school. By leading the effort to raise $24 million, an amount required by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Black demonstrated the broad base of financial and political support from the North Texas business and technology communities.
The new engineering school’s first classes were offered in the Fall of 1986.
Following his crucial work for the Jonsson School, Kent Black became the first CEO of United Space Alliance (USA), serving from 1995 until his retirement in 1997. Mr. Black was instrumental in the company’s creation as a joint venture company by Rockwell and Lockheed Martin.
Before becoming president of Rockwell International, Kent Black was the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer overseeing Space Systems, Rocketdyne, Collins Commercial Avionics, Defense Systems, and Graphic Systems businesses. He was also chairman of Rockwell's Systems Development Center Board and a member of the company's Corporate Strategy Committee.
During his 34 years at Rockwell International, Kent Black at various times led the firm’s defense and commercial electronics businesses and served in a variety of engineering and management roles. Mr. Black earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1962.
