UVA-WISE, NORTHROP GRUMMAN ANNOUNCE TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP
UVa-Wise receives $1 million commitment for software engineering program
Contact: Christy Whitman
Northrop Grumman Information Technology
(571) 213-5302
christine.whitman@ngc.com
Contact: Jane Meade-Dean
UVa-Wise
(276) 328-0130
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Steve Perkins (center) presents the ceremonial check. With Steve are (L-R) UVa-Wise Chancellor David Prior, Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine, VCEDA Acting Executive Director Jonathan Belcher and VCEDA Chair Mark Wooten. |
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WISE, VA. – Sept. 18, 2006 – The University of Virginia’s College at Wise and Northrop Grumman Corporation on Monday formally announced a public-private partnership that will strengthen both the College’s technology curriculum and the company’s workforce recruitment efforts in Southwest Virginia.
Northrop Grumman officials also announced a $1 million commitment to enhance UVa-Wise’s new software engineering degree program, the only one of its kind in Virginia.
“Today, Northrop Grumman and UVa-Wise are formally establishing a model partnership of cooperation and mutual benefit,” said UVa-Wise Chancellor David J. Prior. “UVa-Wise will be the educational hub, providing student internships, faculty and student research opportunities and advanced technical training for Northrop Grumman employees. Additionally, UVa-Wise will work closely with K-12 education and the region’s community colleges, all of which are vitally important to the success of Southwest Virginia’s emerging technology industry.”
The public-private partnership will augment Northrop Grumman’s workforce development for its new Russell County location. Last November, Northrop Grumman was selected to modernize Virginia’s information technology infrastructure, an effort that will lead to the creation of 433 new high-tech jobs to Southwest Virginia. Company officials have said the College’s efforts to strengthen its existing programs in computer science and management information systems as well as its plans to add software engineering were key factors in the site selection.
UVa-Wise will use the $1 million gift to continue to purchase the latest technology and to recruit highly trained faculty for the software engineering degree program, which began with the start of the 2006-07 academic year. Northrop Grumman also plans to offer UVa-Wise technology students paid internships and make offers of employment to qualified graduates. The company will make in-kind contributions of hardware, software and services to the College.
Steven R. Perkins, sector vice president, Washington Operations, Northrop Grumman Information Technology, represented the company at Monday’s event and presented Chancellor Prior with the ceremonial check.
“There is a legacy at Northrop Grumman of recruiting and finding talented people through our partnerships with the Commonwealth’s colleges and universities,” Perkins said. “We currently have a wonderful relationship with the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Today, I am proud to officially establish a partnership with the University’s western campus.”
Half of the $1 million commitment will be funded through a grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA). “As our partners, UVa-Wise and VCEDA have worked closely together to form a new kind of relationship that will serve as a model for other public-private partnerships,” Perkins said.
Joining in the check presentation and signing of a memorandum of understanding between the College and Northrop Grumman were Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and members of the Southwest Virginia legislative delegation including Senator William Wampler, Senator Phillip Puckett, Delegate Terry Kilgore and VCEDA Chair Mark Wooten and VCEDA Executive Director Jonathan Belcher.
“The remarkable leadership of the members of the Southwest Virginia legislative delegation helped ensure state funding was obtained for the software engineering program,” Chancellor Prior said. “These legislators worked diligently to provide for both the facilities and equipment and the human capital needed to launch the software engineering program.”
During the last session of the General Assembly, the legislature approved a budget that included $808,900 to hire faculty and staff for the software engineering program and purchase equipment. The budget includes another $10.9 million for the renovation of the original wing of the Science Center, which will ultimately house software engineering labs.
Perkins echoed praise for the local legislators and economic develop groups for their cooperation. “This group of lawmakers has worked for years to bring us to where we are today,” Perkins said.
Since 2002, UVa-Wise has been exploring the addition of a degree program in software engineering. Faculty members and business leaders completed detailed studies of possible curricula and the faculty and facilities needed to support them. The College has received financial support from a variety of sources including a combined total of more than $500,000 from Wise County, the Commonwealth Foundation, and the Appalachian Regional Commission for feasibility studies, an advanced computing laboratory, and high school student preparation.
UVa-Wise is the only college in Virginia to offer a bachelor’s degree in software engineering. Students who complete the 75 credit hours required for the major, in addition to the College’s 56 general education credit hours, will receive a bachelor of science degree in software engineering. Software engineering students will learn to apply concepts from computer science, engineering and mathematics to the development of high-quality software. Graduates from the UVa-Wise program will be prepared for employment in software development fields and have the necessary background for graduate work in software engineering, computer science or other disciplines that require extensive work in information processing.
With 32,000 employees in 16 locations, Northrop Grumman is the largest technology/manufacturing private employer in Virginia and is one of the largest providers of systems integration and information technology systems and services to the U.S. government.
Ranked among the nation’s top public liberal arts colleges by “U.S. News and World Report,” UVa-Wise is the only branch of the University of Virginia. The College has seen its enrollment grow steadily in recent years; 1,900 students currently attend UVa-Wise.
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