University of Nebraska to Become a Worldwide Hub for Advanced Training and Research for IBM On Demand Systems23 February 2006
Today IBM and the University ofNebraska-Lincoln announced extensive plans to foster new collaboration andinnovation among the academic community, IBM and its partners andcustomers. The University will serve as a worldwide hub for advancedteaching and remote access by other universities on IBM's premier"all-in-one" business computing system, the System i5.
The collaboration between UNL and IBM is designed to produce joint researchon the next level of IBM's on demand strategy and case studies to supportanalysis and resolution of real world business challenges. Working withIBM, a team of UNL professors will design new curricula in the College ofBusiness Administration for Management Information Systems (MIS) courses ontopics such as "driving business innovation through IT simplification" and"managing higher system utilization." These teaching modules may be usedby IBM's greater Academic Initiative community.
"The University recognizes that to offer an innovative MIS program thatcontinues to attract the best and brightest leadership and student talent,we need to collaborate closely with our business community to providegreater resources and research opportunities," said Harvey Perlman,Chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "We are excited tointroduce a broader array of tools and skills for our students and facultyin collaboration with business partners including IBM."
To support the program, the University will create a System i5 lab for itsstudents and faculty. Other universities will be able to access this hubremotely in support of their Academic Initiative program. IBM will providea System i5 and other computer equipment to the University as well assystems maintenance and training.
"IBM's expanded relationship with the University of Nebraska will serve asa model to the hundreds of colleges and universities worldwide that offereducational resources on the System i family," said Mark Shearer, generalmanager, IBM System i, at a ceremony at the University today. "Thisrelationship will connect IBM's technical community with leaders inacademia to develop solutions that help fuel business innovation."
IBM experts will work with UNL professors to provide guest lecturers fromthe business world for seminars and workshops. Project teams will offerhands-on opportunities to students to work on practical applications. Aspart of the UNL collaboration, an initial student project kicked off thismonth to develop an interactive virtual community for the System i'scommunity of business users and IT professionals. The project aims toattract the next generation of developers into the System i community bytapping tools such as online personas or "avatars" and a 3D landscape.
Tom Cypher, President & CEO of Information Technology, Inc., aLincoln-based banking software and services provider, is encouraged by theUniversity's collaboration with IBM. "Our company and our clients have agrowing need for people with System i skills and experience," he explained."We look forward to working with IBM and UNL to train the next generationof IBM System i talent through our involvement with students in variouseducational settings, including the nationally recognized JD Edwards HonorsProgram."
Dean Cynthia Milligan of UNL's College of Business Administration added,"Our collaboration with IBM will be another innovative program foreducating our students as future leaders of organizations in thecompetitive global environment."
Expanding the IBM Academic Initiative
Today IBM also announces further investment and support in its AcademicInitiative on the System i5 platform. IBM plans to increase the number ofcolleges and universities worldwide with advanced MIS and technologyprograms that include System i solutions in their curriculum. To date,more than 250 universities participate in the program.
"The System i community technical professionals are some of the industry'smost talented and enthusiastic business and IT experts and have muchexperience to share with the recent students entering the workplace," saidShearer. "In this current environment, IBM recognizes the importance ofbringing the business community together with academia to increase thelevel of System i5 education available to the next generation of experts."
The System i5 Academic Initiative provides students and professors withhands-on access to the System i5 platform, curriculum, industry experts,and training for students and faculty. The goal is for students to developpractical business and IT skills that enable them to find jobs upongraduation and to help businesses increase their access to System iexpertise.
UNL College of Business Administration
The College of Business Administration is a comprehensive business schoolthat houses the traditional departments of Economics, Finance, Managementand Marketing, as well as the School of Accountancy, the Actuarial ScienceProgram, and the Bureau of Business Research. It is home to over 3,000undergraduate and graduate students. All classrooms are fully equippedwith digitized multimedia equipment and information technologies, as wellas advanced teaching aids such as in-class simulation. The building haswireless computing capabilities for students, faculty and staff. Severalcomputer labs and computer classrooms complete the technological facilitieswhich include new computers, group and individual work areas and training.The Management Department offers leading edge MIS courses forundergraduate, masters and doctoral students. For more information, pleasevisit: www.cba.unl.edu.
About the IBM System i5
The IBM System i5 platform is a tightly integrated system includinghardware, middleware, storage and security. The System i5 platform can runi5/OS, Windows, Linux and AIX 5L operating environments simultaneously,simplifying their IT to enable more innovation in their business. (1)Business partners and solutions providers of all sizes drive System i5platform success by building, selling and deploying over 6,400 of theworld's most popular business applications for their clients on the Systemi5 platform.
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years ofleadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from acrossIBM and key IBM Business Partners, IBM offers a wide range of services,solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to takefull advantage of the new era of on demand business. For more informationabout IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com.
Footnotes:
1) The System i5 platform can run Microsoft Windows via an integratedIntel-based server option.
IBM, System i, and System i5 are trademarks or registered trademarks ofInternational Business Machines Corporation. For a list of additional IBMtrademarks, please see www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml
LINUX is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other names and trademarks arethe property of their respective owners.
Contact:Colleen HaikesIBM Media Relations(415) 545-4003chaikes@us.ibm.com
SOURCE: IBM Corporation
Source: marketwire
All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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