CONTACT: Ken Orgill, Asso. Provost, Information Technology
(304) 293-2550
West Virginia University has formed a partnership with the nation's largest supplier of information management software to provide the school's financial and human resources management database system.
WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. made the announcement today (Feb. 25) as part of a Progress Report to the WVU Family, a speech he intended to make last week but did not deliver due to the tragic plane crash that took the lives of WVU's two pilots.
Oracle will provide WVU with advanced database software to remedy what is known as the "year 2000 problem," computer malfunctions that may occur when computer clocks for the first time encounter a date with three zeros on Jan. 1, 2000.
The partnership was made possible through discussions with Ray Lane, president and chief operating officer of Oracle Corp., a company with more than $6.5 billion in sales annually. Lane, who graduated from WVU in 1968 with a mathematics degree, has guaranteed that WVU will be able to process its financial transactions with the new system before the calendar turns to the year 2000, and through Lane's assistance WVU has received donations of software and other generous discounts including two major Oracle administrative systems, via the WVU Foundation Inc.
These systems, Lane said, will allow WVU to become a demonstration site for the latest information management advances.
"Needless to say, we are very happy that Ray Lane, back in 1964, chose WVU," Hardesty said. "We're glad that in 1998 he chose us again to be partners in technology. We' re really proud of his accomplishments and grateful for his interest in and generosity to his alma mater."
Hardesty said the Oracle system will provide a great step forward in integrating WVU's main campus and four regional campuses in data management. It will provide a new, single-platform environment tool to modernize WVU business practices, thereby increasing productivity and reducing administrative costs.
"The partnership Oracle is building with WVU is what we consider to be a showcase for the nation and perhaps the world," Lane said. "This will be the most modern technology available." Also, as early as next fall, WVU students will be getting an extra boost toward top-dollar careers through a program that tailors information technology curriculum to the training needs of one of the country's major database companies.
WVU has become a charter member of the Oracle Academic Initiative (OAI), an alliance between the company and education institutions to address the shortage of workers with information technology skills. With more than $6.5 billion in sales annually, Oracle is the world's largest supplier of information management software.
The company plans to have 50 colleges and universities participating this year in a program that will provide Oracle software and support to schools at a nominal fee, plus workshops for instructors who will be teaching the Oracle curriculum. The company will provide low-cost student kits that include Oracle curriculum materials and supporting courseware. In return for this support, participating schools agree to integrate Oracle curriculum into their information technology classes.
Having this background can lead to Oracle certification for students, and those completing courses with integrated Oracle curriculum can be listed in the company's recruitment database. OAI is part of many possible partnerships that are an outgrowth of recent discussions WVU has had with Oracle and its president and chief operating officer, Ray Lane, a 1968 WVU graduate.
"We are proud and fortunate to have Ray Lane as an alumnus." said WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr., "In addition, WVU and West Virginia will benefit from his interest in and enthusiasm for helping our students toward careers in an industry that is making great changes in every sector of the economy and every part of the globe."
"We are investigating some exciting partnership opportunities with Oracle," said Ken Orgill, WVU associate provost for information technology. "Ray Lane wants to help the University."
And this partnership will benefit Oracle, too. Orgill said there are 346,000 information technology jobs in the U.S. that are unfilled, and the rate is expected to increase. At the same time, Oracle and other companies may pay thousands of dollars to train college graduates for jobs that sometimes pay between $60,000 to $140,000 a year. Currently, colleges and universities are only training about half of the skilled workers that companies need.
"WVU is excited about providing the opportunity for our students to qualify for such high paying jobs," Orgill said, "by integrating the Oracle database training into the regular liberal arts curriculum."
WVU departments that have expressed interest in participating in OAI include the College of Business and Economics' management program and the computer science program in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Jack Fuller, management chairman, said he plans to integrate the Oracle option into the management information systems program, which used to be an undergraduate human resources management option. "The Oracle program will give our students some real-world software packages to work with in class," Dr. Fuller said.
Larry Hornak, interim chairman of the computer and electrical engineering department, said he thinks many students will want to complete their degrees with an additional certification in Oracle software. "That will make our students more marketable and further their ability to succeed out there in industry," he said.
Schools participating in OAI include Rochester Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, University of Kentucky and Kentucky Community College System, and City University of New York (CUNY). "Our partnership with Oracle via the Academic Initiative will benefit our students, providing education for the innovators of tomorrow's technologies," Orgill said. "Through the use of Oracle's information management system, WVU will be out front in using the best technological tools available to improve our productivity and information management."
More OAI information is available at http://education.oracle.com/oai
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