NIU students will work on new technologies
alongside Discover mentors
Discover Financial Services and Northern Illinois University are
announcing the launch of an exciting program that will provide
tech-savvy students with opportunities right in the heart of the
university’s campus to help research and develop new technologies
for the company.
The initiative, dubbed the Discover Campus Innovator Program,
will kick off this coming fall in a newly renovated,
5,900-square-foot area of “71 North,” the university’s
collaborative space for innovation centrally located on campus in
the bottom level of Founders Memorial Library. Discover and NIU
have entered into an agreement, whereby the company will lease and
renovate the space.
Students selected for the Discover Campus Innovator Program will
be paid to work on and help develop new Discover technologies in
the areas of mobile-software development, web-application coding,
and person-to-person payment systems. They also will be able to
present their work and ideas to peers and company representatives,
providing them with an opportunity to experience Discover’s company
culture. The company recruited students for the program earlier
this spring.
“Discover has a long-standing tradition of promoting education
and developing products and services that help our customers better
manage their finances,” said Glenn Schneider, chief information
officer at Discover and an NIU alumnus. “What better way to
accomplish both than to collaborate with the diverse and talented
students at Northern Illinois University to improve the customer
experience while supporting education in the Chicagoland area.”
Discover is a leading direct banking and payment services
company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial
services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one
of the nation’s largest card issuers.
“We envisioned 71 North as a place for hands-on learning and
collaborations with businesses,” NIU Acting President Lisa Freeman
said. “Discover provides a great anchor to this space—and we
couldn’t be more thrilled for our students about this unique
on-campus program. It will provide valuable learning experiences
that will help students find employment once they graduate, and the
project also serves as a terrific example of successful alumni
coming back to engage our students.”
Discover is a leading employer of NIU alumni, and Schneider and
fellow NIU alumnus Joel Suchomel, vice president of application
development at Discover, helped spearhead the initiative.
Suchomel first proposed the program during a visit to campus to
speak with students in computer science, one of NIU’s academic
programs that stands to benefit. Since the fall of 2012, NIU’s
undergraduate enrollment in computer science has surged by more
than 50 percent.
“We are looking for students with a passion for exploring new
ideas, collaborating and problem solving in agile teams, designing
new solutions and developing innovative applications,” Suchomel
said. “More importantly, we’re looking for students who live our
values, empower and support each other, and are committed to
building tools that will ultimately improve the lives of our
customers.”
Karinne Bredberg, assistant director for commercialization and
innovation in the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships
(RIPS), shepherded NIU’s effort to secure the Discover Campus
Innovator Program. While the concept originated with the Department
of Computer Science, Chair Nicholas Karonis and Acting Provost
Christopher McCord recognized an even bigger opportunity, she
said.
“This collaboration represents an incredible opportunity for NIU
students to take advantage of employment with a premier company,”
Bredberg said. “Our students will work alongside leading
professionals, apply skills learned in the classroom to address
real-world business challenges and learn what it’s like to innovate
within a corporate setting.
“Additionally, we hope Discover’s presence helps NIU attract
other business and entrepreneurial partners to this collaborative
space, where they can engage with our top students.”
This fall’s Discover Campus Innovator Program is expected to
include 40 to 50 juniors and seniors who have a minimum 3.0 GPA and
are developing expertise in such areas as computer science,
computer engineering, telecommunications, networking, informatics,
information security and operations management, and information
systems. Discover will hire or rehire students for a new round of
participants and projects each semester.
About NIU
Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally
recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits
its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields,
including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering,
education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb,
Illinois, and education centers for students and working
professionals in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Oregon and
Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 courses of study while serving a
diverse and international student body.
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and
payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in
U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company
has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States.
The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards
pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home
equity loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of
deposit through its direct banking business. It operates the
Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with
millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the
nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International,
a global payments network with acceptance in 190 countries and
territories. For more information,
visit www.discover.com/company.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180523005251/en/
Robert
WeissDiscoverrobertweiss@discover.com224-405-6304@Discover_NewsorTom
ParisiInstitutional CommunicationsNorthern Illinois
Universitytparisi@niu.edu815-762-7464
Discover Financial Servi... (NYSE:DFS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Discover Financial Servi... (NYSE:DFS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024