Head of Alcatel North America to Chair Industry Advisory Board for U. T. Dallas Research Center

RICHARDSON, Texas (May 10, 2005) – The chief executive officer of Alcatel North America, Hubert de Pesquidoux, has agreed to chair a newly formed industry advisory board for a University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) research center, the International Center for Decision and Risk Analysis (ICDRiA).

Members of the ICDRiA board met for the first time May 4 at UTD’s School of Management.

Other members of the new board include Gilles Delfassy, senior vice president of Texas Instruments; Bao Yong Zheng, president of FutureWei Technologies; and Chris Rawley, a director in the Chief Risk Office at EDS.

ICDRiA was formed at the UTD School of Management last fall.  It conducts research and serves as a forum for the exchange of knowledge on the subject of risk as it relates to large-investment industrial projects that involve new technologies, applications and markets.

“The formation of our advisory board will put us in direct touch with representatives from industry and the real-world challenges and problems of risk their companies face each day,” said center director Dr. Alain Bensoussan.

“These are exactly the real problems that are of interest to the center’s research,” said Bensoussan, who is also a distinguished research professor at UTD and a former chairperson of the European Space Agency Council.

UTD School of Management Dean Dr. Hasan Pirkul said the school’s research centers, such as ICDRiA, not only foster research in their areas of interest but also provide real value to industry by offering training and the ability to carry out projects relevant to industry’s needs.

“The willingness of these eminent members of their companies to serve on ICDRiA’s advisory board is an indication that industry recognizes how much immediate value can be added to their corporations by the center’s work,” Pirkul said.

Since its inception last fall, ICDRiA has received grant funding from two major international organizations: The North American division of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Alcatel’s de Pesquidoux said he views his role on ICDRiA’s board as an “opportunity for Alcatel to increase its involvement with UTD, which is doing great work in the area of risk management, a critical area in today’s competitive economy. In my role as an advisor, I hope to bring valuable perspectives based on what we are seeing as a leader in the global telecommunications market.”

Bensoussan said he expects the board’s membership to expand after its initial organization.

“We view this as an important step that will further strengthen the relations between the UTD School of Management and industry in the important area of risk management,” he said.

About the UTD School of Management

Based on publications in the top 22 business journals spanning all areas of business, The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management faculty ranks 37 th in research productivity among business school faculties nationwide, and U.S. News and World Report ranks the school’s Cohort MBA program among the top 64 full-time MBA programs in the nation and among the top 35 at public colleges and universities. The School of Management is the largest of UTD’s seven schools, with an enrollment that has doubled over the last eight years to more than 4,400 students. The school’s new 204,000-square-foot building features classrooms with state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment, wireless connectivity, video-conferencing facilities, a computer lab, faculty offices, meeting rooms and an executive education center.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.