Week 7 Application Assignment Jacqueline Cavalier

Socially Responsible: Preparing Students to Complete in Technology Industry


This week I interviewed my dad, John. C. Cavalier, on his involvement in social responsibility as Chairman of Pitney Bosws Software formally known as Map Info Inc. First, I need to mention that my dad's career spans 40-plus years and he worked for many organizations in upper management positions. Growing up, my dad was the President of Dixie Paper Company, and by the time I graduated from high school, my dad was the President of Atari Inc. Some of you may remember Atari as one of the first producers of video games. From Atari, my dad went on the work at Apple Computers for Steve Jobs as vice president and general manager for the Apple International Division, responsible for the Americas, Far East and Africa. At Apple, he was also vice president and general manager of the Personal Computer Division. Further, my dad was one of the first employees at Apple, and Jobs was a frequent visitor to my family's home. After Apple, my dad moved from one organization to another because his speciality was turning organizations around.

In 1996, my dad became the president and CEO of Map Info Inc currently known as Pitney Bowes Business Software. My dad held that position from '96 to 2001. At that time, he was appointed the Chairman of the Board, and held that position until 2007, when he retired. My dad had many accomplishments throughout his career. One of his proudest professional moments was when he co-founded Tech Valley High School(TVH). TVH is a high school was originally located on the grounds of Map Info/Pitney Bowes in Albany, New York and supports the community's high tech growth spurt. Tech Valley is based on a curriculum of no text books, students work in teams, and work on 8 to 10 projects throughout the school year. Moreover, the curriculum is focused on science, math, engineering, and technology to support the tech industry in the state of New York. "The school was created to prepare future students to excel in the high-tech and global environment" (Cavalier, 2012). In addition, the school's core curriculum will support the students as they prepare to enter college and will continue to support the community as skilled workers emerge to sustain the economic growth of the tech community (Cavalier, 2012).

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated $400,000 to TVH, and the State of New York donated 2 million dollars to fund the school. My dad, and school officials, had to work with the state to change the laws in the state to allow TVH to be a public school. This was a huge commitment by local organizations like Map Info, the government, union officials, and the educational community. Each group needed to work together to support a growing 22 billion dollar investment that was made in the nanotechnology field as a part of tech valley, the capital district of New York. This investment is based on the semiconductor industry that makes 8 in wafers (similar to a CD) an embossed circuit, which is what chips are made from. The problem is yield, meaning only a specific amount of wafers end up being used. Out of every 100 wafers produced, only 30 or 40 are used. That is current technology standards. This technology is being research to improve the yield and increase from 8" to 12" wafers. Further, the next generation of technology will be 18" wafers, which will produce the largest amount of chips to date. Why is this important technology? All current technology uses chips like smart phones, tablets, cars, and computers. Even everyday appliances are built using chip technology.

Why is this important, and how does it fit in with organizations being socially responsible?

All of the worldwide research is being done at the College of Nanoscale Science and  Engineering at the University of Albany, State University in New York. This research is being funded by Intel, Samsung, IBM, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Global Foundries. "This is unprecedented cooporation among these companies, the State of New York, unions, and the educational system to fund the research and development of the next generation of micron technology" (Cavalier, 2012). This endeavor has contributed to creating thousands of jobs in the State of New York with an overall investment of 1.5 Billion. Moreover, a total of 22 Billion was donated by GlobalFoundaries to build the most modern research and development facility: the Luther Forest Tech Park in Saratoga, New York (Cavalier, 2012). Again, this donation brought thousands of jobs into the state of New York and will continue to support the economy as an additional 16,000 to 20,000 jobs will be created as a result of the technological advances and industry growth (Cavalier, 2012). This technology movement contributes to the overall economic well being of the state as well as contributes to the educational system in the surrounding communities. "TVH is an example of students benefiting from the community. Students work on what is called a J-Term, meaning every January the students work with local technology organizations on internships to help prepare them for college" (Cavalier, 2012).

To further understand the future implications of the tech industry and the partnership with the community, the overall goal is to begin educating preschool students through a program called America's Edge and working with the students through high school, college, and ultimately to PHD level. The partnership between all of these organizations is working toward social responsibility within the boundaries of The United States. That is a stake in the ground our country needs to make claim to!


I hope you enjoyed this week's blog! As you can probably guess, I am very proud of my dad and his career accomplishments. On Monday afternoon, October 29th, my dad is being honored with an award in New York called the Champion of Education Award. My only regret, not being there to cheer him on!