West Virginia University’s Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources students will now be able to use the same product lifecycle management software in their classrooms that is utilized by leading companies around the world thanks to Siemens PLM Software’s in-kind software grant with a commercial value of more than $425 million, the largest in-kind grant in the history of the institution.
The in-kind grant was provided by Siemens PLM Software’s Global Opportunities in PLM (GO PLM™ initiative), a program that delivers PLM technology to more than one million students yearly at more than 11,000 global institutions, where it is used at every academic level – from grade schools to graduate engineering research programs.
The software will be integrated in two Statler College departments: the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. It is estimated that the grant will immediately benefit more than 700 students throughout WVU.
“We extend a huge thank you to Siemens PLM Software for this generous gift of advanced engineering software used by some of the most successful companies in the world,” said WVU President Jim Clements. “Our students in the Statler College will now have additional opportunities to learn and train on applications used by industry experts, adding even more real-world experiences to their academic pursuits.”
The range of software provided includes applications that are widely used by many multi-national companies in industries around the globe. Among Industry Week’s list of 1,000 manufacturing companies, more than half use Siemens PLM Software technology; in the key markets of automotive, aerospace, machinery and high tech, the total approaches 80 percent.
“As product complexity continues to grow, students who are able to use PLM technology are expected to be highly recruited,” said Bill Boswell, senior director, partner strategy, Siemens PLM Software. “We are honored to have WVU listed among our prestigious partners to assist in building the next generation of engineers and support manufacturing revitalization efforts across the country.”
WVU now joins the list of leading institutions which have partnered with Siemens PLM Software including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California at Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Virginia Tech and Auburn University.
“This type of advanced technology is very important to helping us prepare our students for their careers,” said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College, WVU. “We are very pleased to partner with Siemens PLM Software to provide our students with access to these state-of-the-art tools and prepare them to be our country’s engineers of tomorrow.”
The range of software includes Siemens PLM Software’s NX™ software for integrated computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering, and Solid Edge� software, a complete hybrid 2D/3D CAD system for the mainstream market.
Wayne King, president and CEO of the WVU Foundation said, “In-kind gifts are crucial to the advancement of WVU’s academic programs and the students. The importance of in-kind giving, especially software, is ever increasing. Students must be able to gain hands-on experience with the resources used in their future careers. Software of this magnitude is cost prohibitive for WVU to purchase, yet it is essential to expose students to this critical component in their education.”
Established in 1954, the WVU Foundation is a private non-profit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for the benefit of West Virginia University.
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CONTACTS: Bill Nevin, WVU Foundation
304-284-4056; WNevin@wvuf.org
or
Mary Dillon; Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304-293-4086; mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.
Note: GO PLM, NX and Solid Edge are trademarks or registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries.