Only a few weeks after they formed a new alliance with AT&T, University officials are strengthening relationships with another national company.

A DuPont representative will be coming to the University soon to discuss research collaboration, set up internships and job opportunities for students and possibly create continuing education programs for the company, said Executive Vice President and Provost John Brighton. Talks with DuPont stem from a three-year relationship with the company, he said.

Representatives from the University and the company met in Philadelphia on Feb. 17 -- the same day University President Joab Thomas announced the $10 million deal with the American Telephone & Telegraph Co.

"We agreed that we've had a very successful past and we'd like to explore new areas that would take us further," said Randy Guschl, director of technology acquisitions at DuPont.

By working with the University and utilizing its research facilities, DuPont may be able to bring more research money to the University and at the same time improve its own resources, said Art Heim, director of the Industrial Research Office.

It is still unknown how much money the expansion will bring to the University and DuPont.

Currently the company has no plans to move into the University's Research Park, but Guschl said it is not out of the question. The park's Materials Research Building is scheduled to open at the end of the semester.

A major factor of the deal revolves around Continuous Quality Improvement -- a method used by many companies to examine programs and find ways to improve them.

"DuPont funded us very generously for our work in CQI," Thomas said. "We are in an ongoing program that is funded by DuPont."

The University is one of four schools that received a grant from DuPont to expand Total Quality Management, another part of CQI, Thomas said. The College of Engineering, College of Education and the Smeal College of Business Administration are very active in CQI, he added.

Heim said working with DuPont allows the University to study the company's CQI program and learn from it. Improved relationships with DuPont would also help steer the University in the direction of research areas important in industry, he said.

Louise Sandmeyer, CQI executive director, said there is an opportunity to learn from the corporation and also to hear what the University can do to improve education about business competition in the real world.

"They're really involved heavily with the University already," she said.