University President on Spaceport Expansion & Energy Diversification

UTPB serves 7,400 students in the heart of the Permian Basin — and most come from within 150 miles. President Dr. Woodley breaks down how the University of Texas Permian Basin trains the energy, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing workforce powering West Texas.

The only regional comprehensive university in the Permian Basin sits next to a spaceport, inside the oilfield that Dr. Woodley says powers the world in so many ways. Eight years into the presidency, she's building engineering programs (including an aeronautics track), a wet lab, an Advanced Manufacturing Center, a Water and Energy Research Center, and a business incubator inside the Center for Energy and Economic Diversification in Midland-Odessa.

We cover the wildcatter spirit that pulls civic and industry leaders together, why UTPB's model is "grow our own," how paid internships turn into full-time hires almost overnight, and what employers get wrong when they wait to partner with their local university.

Guest: Dr. Woodley, President, University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB)
Host: Justin McKenzie | The Building Texas Show

⏱️ Chapters
0:00 - Cold open: wildcatter spirit in the Permian Basin
0:16 - UTPB, the SEED building & Midland-Odessa energy partnership
0:52 - Wildcatter spirit and the Permian Basin's global impact
1:39 - Grow our own: 7,400 students within 150 miles
2:49 - Beyond oil and gas: spaceport, aerospace & engineering
3:30 - Four engineering programs and the aeronautics track
4:00 - Advanced Manufacturing, Water & Energy Research, incubator
4:28 - Closing the university-employer gap in West Texas
5:20 - Paid internships employers snap up fast
5:59 - Best backyard in the world for energy engineers

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