BNY and UCF Announce $5M Pegasus Partnership and Co-Location, Forging a New Model for Industry-Academia Collaboration

Today BNY, a leading global financial services company and UCF announced a ground-breaking Pegasus Partnership that establishes a co-located educational innovation hub on UCF's main campus - the first-of-its-kind in Florida.

The $5 million, five-year commitment reimagines how universities and global enterprises can work together to prepare the workforce of the future, leveraging collaborations to enhance career readiness for UCF students, as well as talent development and acquisition for BNY.

At the heart of this collaboration is the 8,400 square-foot Next-Gen Cybersecurity Technology and Operations Center Lab (CTOC Lab). This dedicated space on UCF's campus will host an experiential learning course, Introduction to Applied Technology in Banking.

This hands-on course, led by BNY executives, teaches students how to translate their technical skills learned from coursework to industry applications. It also includes a special topics seminar course, guest lectures, adjunct instruction and more.

"My favorite part has been the people," says Katrina Gumerov, a computer science major at UCF, who is participating in the course this semester. "There are so many BNY leaders who fly in from all different kinds of industries within the company. And we also have great leaders who are here every week. It's a very mentorship-style environment where I'm never afraid to ask questions. Having that support behind me has been incredible."

This marks a milestone in realizing UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright's vision of co-located industry and academia collaboration. It will give UCF students real-world experience with one of the world's most respected financial institutions, while leveraging the university's faculty excellence, research power, and startup-like agility to anticipate market and technology disruptions in fintech and wealth management.

"UCF is built to work at the intersection of opportunity and innovation," Cartwright says. "Our Pegasus Partnership with BNY brings that to life, creating a dynamic environment where talent, ideas and industry converge together, as we accelerate the future of finance and technology."

"By working with UCF, we're deepening and broadening our connection to Central Florida, home to our Lake Mary office," Chief Executive Officer of BNY Robin Vince, says.

"This collaboration is an opportunity to help build a workforce ready to succeed in the rapidly changing technology landscape - which in turn helps our local community grow and thrive." - Robin Vince, BNY CEO

Upon completing the initial course, students will progress through a semester of advanced coursework in application development and infrastructure engineering using real-world examples. High performers will be invited to apply for summer internships during their senior year with the goal of being hired as full-time analysts at BNY after graduation.

The inaugural CTOC Lab class launched in the fall with 27 students, and BNY expects to continue enrolling an additional 25-30 new students into the program each semester.

"This is such an exciting evolution of our work with UCF," says Chief Technology Officer at BNY Sabet Elias. "We're bridging the gap between the classroom and the workforce and getting in front of the bright talent cultivated at UCF. Together, we're committed to giving back to our community, nurturing these innovative minds, identifying curricular gaps and equipping students with the skills to drive the industry forward."

Investing in Students and the Future

BNY's investment extends beyond the classroom. BNY has committed to be platinum partners for the College of Business for the duration of this agreement, including support for case competitions, student activities and enhanced recruiting opportunities. Through the BNY Scholars program, UCF Burnett Honors College students will be selected to receive scholarships to support their academic journey. Additional investment is also being made in student cybersecurity initiatives, including Hack@UCF and the internationally acclaimed Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition (CP3) Team.

Additional initiatives include unique Meet the Firm on-campus events designed to elevate BNY's profile and strengthen talent recruitment across all disciplines; lifelong learning and training for BNY employees through facilitated executive education; and professional development to complement the company's internal resources.

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