CSU, Chico News

California State University, Chico’s College of Business today received a $100,000 grant from SAP America, Inc., a subsidiary of SAP AG, the world’s fourth largest software supplier of business application solutions and a research partner with leading universities across the country.

The SAP America University Alliance Program’s new research grant component awarded grants to four universities, with CSU, Chico receiving the top prize. Universities receiving $75,000 grants were Drexel University, Georgia Tech, and Purdue University.

CSU, Chico President Manuel Esteban, College of Business Dean Arno Rethans, and Professors Richard Lea and James Boykin accepted the grant at the first research program award ceremony today, January 29, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

In 1996, SAP America chose CSU, Chico as the first participant for its University Alliance Program, and contributed $2 million in software, training, and curriculum support to the College of Business. Other universities to subsequently join the alliance include University of Texas, Harvard, USC, and UC Irvine.

SAP is the world’s leader of enterprise business-application software. The R/3™ System, used in over half of the world’s top 500 companies, provides an integrated business system for varied functions such as accounting, materials management, plant maintenance, and sales.

Over the past two years, more than 500 CSU, Chico students have learned the R/3 System in a variety of business classes. No other American university has so extensively used SAP software in the classroom.

The research grant will go toward faculty development in exploring additional ways to utilize SAP software in the University’s undergraduate business curriculum.

“CSU, Chico and the College of Business are being recognized as being on the leading edge of implementation of enterprisewide software,” said Dean Rethans. “These funds will further support faculty efforts in integrating SAP software into the curriculum.”

“As a world leader in the development of business application software, with more than 12,000 R/3 installations globally, we’ve witnessed firsthand the way leading-edge companies are preparing themselves to operate efficiently,” said SAP America CEO Paul Wahl. “We need to help prepare our next generation of business leaders for the new direction of the business world, and that is integrated processing. We hope that by making R/3 available to the academic community and by helping to fund and support its implementation into new curricula, we will be providing students with a critical link to their understanding of real-life business practices. We applaud our first grant winners and the outstanding work they submitted.”

Corporate support of undergraduate training in the SAP R/3 software has been a major feature of the University Alliance Program. Hewlett-Packard has contributed $750,000 in hardware and software to CSU, Chico, while IBM Global Services, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Foundation Health Systems, Chevron Corp., and semiconductor industry manufacturer Applied Materials, Inc. have made cash commitments to the University. A representative of Bristol-Myers Squibb, a member of CSU, Chico’s SAP Industry Partner Group, attended today’s award ceremony.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 1998 at 8:21 am and is filed under 1997 Fall.