UAF AND IBM FORM PARTNERSHIP IN COMPUTER SCIENCES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 1997

Fairbanks, Alaska — IBM has donated a new AS/400 computer valued at $300,000 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks computer science program. The company has also agreed to hire at least three UAF computer science graduates over the next three years and has guaranteed placement of at least three internships for students still in school over the same amount of time.

Details of both the donation and the hiring commitment were announced today at UAF's computer visualization lab on the Fairbanks campus. According to IBM's Todd Kelsey, a partnership with UAF will benefit both students and IBM.

"IBM Rochester has recruited people from UAF for several years. They've done an excellent job, which is reflective of UAF's curriculum, faculty and educational system," Kelsey said.

IBM Rochester's hiring commitment was negotiated with UAF College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics Dean Paul Reichardt.

"Our continued growth in the national hiring market is due to the success of our past graduates and interns placed in corporations," Reichardt said.

"Because of our geographical location, it's great for us that IBM has made a hiring commitment to our program," Reichardt said.

In addition to its donation to the computer science program, IBM has also donated an Aptiva PC to UAF Rural Student Services.

Donation of the IBM AS/400 was sponsored by MicroAge, a systems integration company based in Anchorage. The sponsorship process was facilitated by Tom Boyle, Mike Hosking and Tim Fargo from MicroAge, Ron Gatterdam from UAF and Todd Kelsey from IBM. MicroAge has supported UAF in the past by establishing internships and donating a personal computer lab for the business school.

The AS/400 is the world's most popular minicomputer. Designed and built as a total system, its database and networking capabilities are fully integrated into the operating system (OS/400) and the machine. The user communicates with all these functions through a single control language, or by using the system menus and prompts. This tight integration results in rapid set-up and deployment in addition to simplified service and support.

UAF will incorporate the AS/400 into the computer science curriculum by using it in courses with "database manipulation" components and in courses on computer architecture. In addition, the computer science faculty are developing a plan to use the AS/400 in student projects developed in cooperative arrangements with Alaska-based businesses.

UAF's computer science program recently received reaccreditation by the national Computing Sciences Accrediation Commission and is one of only 151 CSAC-accredited programs in the country.

CONTACT: UAF Mathematical Sciences Department Head Clif Lando, (907) 474-7118.

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