Hi Bruce

It was great to meet you at the Lerner Mentoring Recognition Dinner this week.

When I visited the campus and looked at the curriculum I did see new technology was limited.

Yes I would like to teach again at Delaware in some capacity on technology for business.

I was the first one to "harass" you at the dinner on putting the new 25,000 foot FinTech space to work productively. I was going to write and offer to participate on a committee you create to help drive FinTech solutions and capability at Lerner.

Then I stopped and thought about what is really needed.

Which happens to fit my background as well. I have spent my career applying new technologies for business gain at IBM, Fidelity, Citizens Bank as well as new technology businesses.

When I look at other univerisities, they only succeed in joint industry programs to a limited degree. Maybe the best in New England are Northeastern and MIT to date.

More than just another "meet too" innovation center or tech center, it could easily become the VCN leader ( Value Chain Networks ) for industry. Companies have optimized operations internally for a long time. The focus is now shifting to optimizing operations externally in sustainable partnerships using new technologies.

No other university has a focused program like this and yet this is where industry is really headed rapidly.

The payoffs are high:

1. Company sponsors have access to the shared knowledge bases, build partnerships, access to the university and a pool of focused students to drive projects forward
2. Delaware could be the leader driving industry consortiums applying new technologies.
3. Students can have both real-world learning opportunities and paid internships at the center.
4. Students also have experience with the latest technologies applied for business when they graduate improving their career prospects.

It would not be hard to recruit companies as sponsors for the new center.

While I've recently focused on applying new technologies at DMX as Foundry Director and Paramount Software Solutions as Blockchain Practice Leader, I also have been part of a number of industry consortiums applying new technology:  Hyperledger, MOBI ( the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative ), Healthcare Special Interests Group, Capital Markets Group, Supply Chain Group and more. I lead the Boston Hyperledger Meetup and partiicpate in a variety of new tech conferences annually as a speaker. The companies in these groups are candidates to join a DLIT program as paying sponsors. While I work on new technologies many labeled blockchain, DLT, AI, ML etc, what matters in business is delivering better value from knowledge and trust relationships. I think Delaware is better positioned than others to deliver the value businesses are looking for.

If you're interested in pursuing this idea more, please let me know.

Thanks,

Jim Mason

508-728-4353