IT Call Center Brings Jobs to UofM Lambuth Campus

Will Serve as Second Center for FedEx IT Support at UofM

May 23, 2018 - The University of Memphis Research Foundation and its wholly-owned subsidiary, UMRF Ventures, will open a second student-operated call center on May 23. The new IT Call Center will be located on the UofM Lambuth campus and will mirror the one opened at the FedEx Institute of Technology on the UofM main campus last fall. This is part of a strategy by the University to bring well-paying, part-time student jobs to campus to help students professionalize while minimizing drop-outs and stop-outs due to financial constraints.

"The UMRF Ventures Call Center on our main campus in the FedEx Institute of Technology has been a huge success, and we are excited to be opening our second one on the UofM Lambuth campus," said UofM President M. David Rudd.

"Our first goal as an academic institution has always been to prepare our students for success after graduation. It has been proven that students who study, live and work on campus are more engaged in the life of the university. It contributes to them graduating faster and having stronger GPAs."

The Call Center provides students an opportunity to earn a paycheck and gain real-world job experience providing FedEx team members with first-level technical support, including phone configuration and basic application and computing device troubleshooting.

"Data shows that money is a key factor in students finishing their degree," said UMRF Ventures CEO Tom Kadien. "If we can provide students with good paying part-time jobs working with a Fortune 500 company like FedEx, student success rates will undoubtedly rise. Our students will learn and grow in these roles, be exposed to and create potential career paths with FedEx and do so right on campus."

The center, to be located in Hyde Hall, will employ approximately 50 UofM Lambuth students, who will work 10 to 20 hours per week. Shifts will be scheduled to accommodate their class time. Twenty-five students will be hired this month and another 25 in August.

"The faculty, staff and students are very excited about the opening of the call center on the UofM Lambuth campus," said Dr. Niles Reddick, vice provost. "What this does is offer our excellent students job opportunities right here on the campus and gives them real-world, practical experience."

The original Call Center on the UofM main campus employs 50 students who handle 250 calls each weekday and has a better-than-target first call resolution rate.

UMRF Ventures also will be launching an IT Command Center in the FedEx Institute, set to open in June. Thirty-five graduate students will be working on data analytics and proactive problem solving alongside FedEx IT professionals.

CONTACT

Chuck Gallina | 901.678.1756 l cgallina@memphis.edu