Eastern Michigan University Receives Business Software Worth $7.3 Million From Oracle Corp.

Business Editors

YPSILANTI, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 2001

Eastern Michigan University's College of Business has received business software valued at $7.3 million from Oracle Corporation. This gift expands on the $1.7 million in business software and technical support

"This gift to the Department of Finance and Computer Information Systems, together with an earlier gift to the Department of Accounting, offers our students an `end-to-end' experience that will prepare program developers, database managers and future `end users,'" said Dr. Earl Potter, dean of the college of business. "The great value of this arrangement is that students in COB programs can experience the kind of integrated system that one would find in the workplace. This capability gives the COB the ability to develop interdisciplinary programs that will prepare graduates who are ready to work in the kind of teams found in leading companies in the US and around the world."

EMU is a partner in the Oracle Academic Initiative, which provides software, curriculum and training resources, solely for classroom teaching and educational purposes, to several institutions throughout the country and worldwide. The Oracle Academic Initiative is part of a lifelong learning network that assists elementary through higher education with access to and understanding of information technology.

Eastern Michigan is the first University in the state to receive a gift of this magnitude from Oracle.

"This software will enable our students to learn Enterprise Resource Planning theories as well as gain real-world experience," said Dr. Hung-Lian Tang, head of EMU's Finance and Computer Information Systems Department. "It fits well with our computer information systems curriculum, which is business-oriented. We emphasize use of software and programs, integrating information technology into a broader context," Tang said.

"The gift provides College of Business programs with leading-edge tools and applications for the Internet," said Patrick Gannon, sales consultant with Oracle Corporation and a 1992 graduate of EMU's Accounting Department.

Enterprise Resource Planning (sometimes called supply chain planning) is a fairly recent movement that allows a company to program their entire operation and tie all components together. Numerous Fortune 500 and e-commerce corporations utilize this technology including General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Kelly Services, Citibank, Amazon.com and Cisco Systems.

Classes utilizing the browser-based Oracle software will include Systems Analysis and Design, Database Management and Advanced Database Management.

Other courses will be developed throughout the College of Business curriculum in E-Commerce Development, Oracle Developer and Enterprise Resource Planning.

Oracle Corporation is the world's second largest software company. With annual sales of more than $10 billion, Oracle provides the software that powers the Internet. For more information about Oracle or the Oracle Academic Initiative, visit the corporation's Web site at www.oracle.com.

Eastern Michigan University (www.emich.edu) is a four-year, comprehensive metropolitan university committed to the needs of its students and communities through teaching, research and service. EMU offers more than 200 programs in the arts, sciences and professions through traditional classroom settings, on site continuing education classes and online courses. EMU is the fifth largest university in Michigan, serving 24,000 students from around the world, and offers undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate programs.