University/industry collaboration from the university point of view

The author describes how university/industry collaboration in education and research has been handled at Rensselaer. Rensselaer provides several educational forums outside of normal classroom activities that bring industry representatives to campus. As examples, the author describes the Technical Writers Institute, the Technical Writer´s Education Symposium, the Industrial Affiliates Program, and classroom education. The model considered emphasizes benefits in education and research for both parties. It is concluded that universities can play a large and valuable role in providing skills for industry and for the field of technical communication by going beyond the normal bounds of their campuses