WSSU alumni accepts senior communications manager position at Dell

When Dell, the world's largest personal computer maker, offered WSSU alumni and former mass communications instructor Donna Oldham the position of senior communications manager, she couldn't refuse and in large part because of what she describes as the company's commitment to a quality workplace and diversity.

North Carolina is banking on Dell to boost the state's economy by employing hundreds of others like Oldham. Specifically, Dell has projected that it will hire 1,500 employees within five years, and it moved a step closer to fulfilling that projected goal on Wednesday, Oct. 5 when it officially opened its newest and largest plant in Winston-Salem - a 750,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in the city's Alliance Science & Technology Park on Temple School Road.

"(My experience at Dell) has been incredible," Oldham said. "I was at Duke Hospital as head of communications for almost eight years and Dell presented such an attractive package in terms of their commitment to diversity, their commitment to a quality workplace that it was something that I decided that I could leave my former employment for to take a chance at Dell..."

On hand for the grand opening was Dell Inc. chairman Michael Dell and Gov. Mike Easley, who, along with other state officials, lured Dell to the state with $318 million in grants and tax breaks.

"If you are computer illiterate or road kill on the information highway, don't blame me and don't blame Dell," Easley said. "You've got an opportunity. This facility will create 1,500 good-paying jobs for 1,500 hard-working North Carolina families. This $100 million investment is exactly what they need.

"I want to tell you, Michael Dell, that you have picked up the morale of this region 110 percent and we appreciate Dell being here," Easley added.

The new facility will produce Dell's build-to-order desktop computers. Michael Dell presented Easley with one of the first computers assembled.

Thurmond Woodard, vice president of Global Diversity and chief ethics officer, came to WSSU in June to speak with students about opportunities at Dell and technology at WSSU.

"I was very pleased to spend some time with my long-time friend, Chancellor Harold L. Martin, and his faculty and to learn and see how they have used technology in the educating of students at Winston-Salem State University," said Woodard.

At a media luncheon held the day before the Dell grand opening, Richard Komm, the company's program director, talked of plans for Dell to form a partnership with WSSU.

"If you look at where our current cites are in Austin and Nashville, (you'll see) we're very active with the campuses on different programs by looking at the curriculum that they provide and how it best fits opportunities here," said Komm.

"We've talked to Winston-Salem State, we've talked to other universities around town and we're looking for opportunities. Those opportunites will develop as the facility becomes more mature."

Before the ceremony, WSSU's Marching Ram Band drumline performed. Later, at a press conference following the grand opening ceremony, Michael Dell reflected on the company's success.

"I started young," he said. "If you look at our business, we identified a discontinuity in the way the computer business worked. Computers were very expensive, there was not a great deal of support, the distribution channels for computers were very inefficient, and so we thought there was a better way-selling directly to the customer, providing great local service, providing great performance, providing great value and that model has been very successful."

North Carolinians are hoping to benefit from some of that success, as the regional economy has been hard hit by a slate of the closures in the manufacturing industry.

Managing Editor Tiphane Deas contributed to this story.