Southwestern Energy CEO Visits UACCM
Harold M. Korell, President, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer of Southwestern Energy Company of Houston, Texas paid a visit to the Petroleum Technology department at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton campus on Wednesday, September 12. Korell made a stop at UACCM to tour the campus after a speaking engagement in Searcy.
During his tour of the Petroleum Technology facilities, Korell spoke with students enrolled in the program about career opportunities within his company and the expanding natural gas industry surrounding the Fayetteville Shale Play. He talked with the department’s instructors about the curriculum and inquired about the students’ experiences thus far with internships working in the field.
Harold Korell, President, Chairman of the Board, and CEO of Southwestern Energy speaks with Petroleum Technology students and instructors at UACCM. |
The Fayetteville Shale Play, an area of natural gas drilling, gathering, and field operations in north-central Arkansas, is thought to be one of the country’s largest known unconventional reserves of natural gas. Southwestern Energy is credited with being the first company to successfully produce gas from the Fayetteville Shale. As a part of its leadership role in the area, Southwestern Energy Company announced in April 2006 a three-year pledge totaling $200,000 to UACCM to help establish a petroleum technology program.
UACCM began offering the one-of-a-kind degree during the fall 2006 semester and now has 77 declared majors. The college offers stop-out points at the levels of certificate of proficiency, technical certificate, and associate of applied science degree.
Southwestern Energy currently operates 19 drills in an area in and around Conway County. While meeting with students, Korell expressed his company’s interest in expanding in the area and the need for qualified, educated workers to operate the drills. He advised students to “Get all the knowledge here (at UACCM) that you can, then learn from experience in the field.”
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