The President's Viewpoint - October 2006 - Update on Project Emmitt


		October 2006
		Update on Project Emmitt One of the most significant and collaborative economic development projects ever supported by the State of Texas involves an innovative consortium of government, industry and educational institutions spearheaded by Texas Instruments (TI), the State of Texas, The University of Texas System, UT Dallas, City of Richardson, Collin County, Collin County Community College and Plano ISD. The project has come to be known as "Project Emmitt," with the name derived from efforts to keep Emmitt Smith with the Dallas Cowboys at about the same time that the Texas Instruments-sponsored project was initiated. Project Emmitt was announced in March of 2004. At the time, TI planned to construct a major new semiconductor manufacturing facility and was considering the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as well as several other locations within the United States and abroad. Ultimately, Texas Instruments chose to build the $3.2 billion manufacturing facility in Richardson, but only as a shared commitment to building a nationally and internationally recognized reputation for research excellence for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas. A detailed economic impact analysis prepared by the Perryman Group validated the enormous, positive benefits of Project Emmitt. The program to improve the facilities, equipment and programs at UT Dallas alone is expected to bring $1.9 billion of economic benefit to the State. The total project— including the manufacturing work at the new TI facility—is projected to generate about $13 billion. Since the agreement was signed in March 2004, tremendous progress has been made. The TI building is complete and all of Texas Instrument’s milestones have been met on or ahead of schedule. In another significant development, the High Technology Education Coalition of Collin County (HI-TECC) has been formed which will ensure that area students receive a high-quality education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Progress of the key commitments at UT Dallas is as follows: Construction of the $85 million Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory (NSERL)—projected completion: December 2006 (www.utdallas.edu/nserl). A $50 million commitment by the Texas Enterprise Fund has been released on schedule—$37.5 million released to date and the remainder due shortly. The UT System commitment of $50 million for laboratories, facilities and equipment to support the NSERL building has been received. UT Dallas has honored and delivered $15 million to support new faculty salaries. Private, corporate and other commitments totaling $100 million: UTD has significantly staffed up the Office of Development, launched the Fearless Engineering fund-raising initiative, begun to build relationships with some of the areas most important potential donors, received several tens of millions of dollars of funding, and is well on its way toward meeting or surpassing the $100 million goal. The University of Texas at Dallas has charted a course to become one of the best public research universities in the nation and one of the important universities of the world. We have much work to do to reach this goal, but all of the essential elements— quality, focus and engagement with our very important community—are in place. I am extremely proud of our faculty and staff, and especially of Dean Bob Helms of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, for the tremendous amount of effective planning, leadership and execution produced by this project. As the history of the Metroplex is written in the future, I anticipate that Project Emmitt will be one of the most important events that shape this region’s future. We at UT Dallas are creating the future, and right now, the spotlight is on Project Emmitt.
		About This Newsletter The President's Viewpoint is a periodic newsletter distributed to a select group of alumni, friends, faculty and staff. It comes from the desk of Dr. David E. Daniel, President of The University of Texas at Dallas, and provides the ultimate insider’s view on the news and concerns of the university. If you wish to unsubscribe from The President’s Viewpoint, please e-mail viewpoint-request@utdallas.edu with “unsubscribe” in the subject line.