Bill Dial is a UACCM industry partner for our Computer-Aided Drafting and Design Technology program. He is an Engineering Technician 3 at Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Maumelle, Arkansas. Get to know him below! What are the benefits of partnering with UACCM for yourself and the college? I have been very blessed with a great career so I enjoy helping UACCM with their curriculum to prepare students for a career in my profession. I also get to meet people who work in different industries and learn from them. Why should others serve on advisory committees? UACCM really listens to committee members and adjusts their curriculum based on our input. The UACCM faculty always makes us feel very appreciated, and you get to meet many other industry professionals. What do you enjoy most about your career? I enjoy the challenge of designing machine improvements for manufacturing equipment used by our company around the world. Why should students consider a career in your field? An as...

This featured partner is currently the Vice President of Quality at Lexicon, Inc. Meet Viji Kuruvilla! What are the benefits of partnering with UACCM for yourself and the college? Lexicon is one of the most highly regarded and fastest-growing companies in the construction field. We believe in preparing Arkansas’s future workforce and providing them with excellent career opportunities in the construction field. Lexicon is family-owned and operated, so our team is dedicated to providing a good quality of life for our employees and their families. Partnering with UACCM in developing educational programs and curricula offers exciting opportunities for students and creates win-win opportunities for UACCM and industries in Arkansas. Why should others serve on advisory boards? If you are successful in your field, giving back to prepare the next generation is very satisfying. It is important to share best practices on lessons learned, critical decision-making, skills to help overcome challenge...

This featured alumnus and industry partner is a graduate of the surveying program. Meet Jonathan Hamner! Jonathan graduated in 2001 and now works at B & F Engineering, a division of Crafton Tull as Vice President of Survey. What are the benefits of partnering with UACCM for yourself and for the college? B & F has numerous graduates of the surveying program at UACCM and the success rate of those graduates is very high. We continue to seek graduates of the program to help keep our business as successful as it has been in years past. Why should other professionals serve on advisory committees? The best reason is that, as a working professional in the field, you get to have a voice as to the instruction and training of people that will be entering your profession in the near future. You get a say in what is really needed for a graduate to be successful. What do you enjoy most about your career? The people that I work with and the time I get to spend outdoors. Why should students co...

This featured industry partner serves on our Drafting advisory board! David DeFrancisco of Innovation Industries Inc. is an Application Engineering Manager that helps our program succeed. Learn more about him and his involvement with UACCM below. What are the benefits of partnering with UACCM? Partnering with UACCM allows our company an inside look at the methods, subject matter, and computer software that UACCM employs. It also allows us to talk with current and prospective students guiding them in their chosen career paths. Why should students consider a career in drafting? There is a large demand for drafters today. Everything that is made had to be drawn first. Then, if needed, all the tooling that is required to make that part has to be drawn also. There are many jobs that are unfilled due to the lack of qualified applicants. Graduating with an associate degree with little or no debt and starting a career is a great option. What do you enjoy about your career? For me personally, I...

This month’s featured industry partner is Gary Massey, human resources and safety personnel at Koontz Electric in Morrilton! Gary serves on our welding advisory committee. Gary says that one of the biggest benefits of partnering with UACCM is the quality job candidates they have received from the college. He says he has even learned some new welding verbiage from the welding instructors! When asked why others should serve on advisory committees, Gary says that it gives back to the community and is a chance to be involved. While he’s not an alum himself, Gary’s son, Cory, attended UACCM. Gary would recommend his career field to students because he says it is a rewarding field with excellent pay and benefits. Does Gary have any advice he would give to himself as he started his career? He advises students to continue gaining knowledge in their area.