Cornell University's College of Engineering and Lockheed Martin have established a partnership to provide specialized graduate education specifically for Lockheed Martin employees. The arrangement, the first of its kind for Cornell, is part of Lockheed Martin's Engineering Leadership Development Program (ELDP).

Under the agreement, selected technical professionals at the company's Lockheed Martin Systems Integration division in Owego, N.Y., will earn a Cornell master of engineering degree over a three-year period. The curriculum provides for six semesters of both on-campus studies and credit classes taught at Lockheed Martin by experts in various subjects. The academic program will culminate with a yearlong design project intended to reinforce the practical application of engineering principles learned in the classroom.

The classes for the Lockheed Martin employees began in August with 12 competitively selected students. Within three years, it is expected that the number of employee-students will rise to 20 a year. The ELDP members are all entry-level technical professionals who have been with the company for less than three years. None of the current students is a Cornell graduate.

The interdisciplinary graduate program is taught by faculty from the Cornell departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Operations Research, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science. The program, which will lead to a master of engineering degree in systems engineering, is administratively headed by Michael Hayes, director of the Cornell College of Engineering Office of Research, Graduate Studies and Professional Education.

Michael Keefe, ELDP program manager at Lockheed Martin's Owego division, noted that ELDP has been established for a number of years at Lockheed Martin sites across the country, with each entity collaborating with local colleges and universities in graduate studies. Each location tailors its ELDP structure to fit site-specific business objectives, but all programs comprise technical education, leadership development and rotational assignment elements. Frank C. Meyer, president of Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego, said: "Participation in Cornell's world-class engineering graduate program represents a tremendous educational opportunity for our ELDP members and expands our relationship with the university. I am delighted with the establishment of this alliance."

Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego is a leader in providing advanced-technology products, services and systems integration solutions for defense, civil and commercial customers worldwide. The division employs more than 4,300 people at facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

For further information, contact Mike Drake at Lockheed Martin at (607) 751-2598.