THE UNIVERSITY OF NC RECEIVES $3M GRANT FROM SAS

University of North Carolina President Molly Broad announced that the 16-campus university system has received a $3 million, five-year grant from SAS Institute that will give students, faculty and administrators use of SAS software and services.

SAS, based in Cary, is the world's largest privately held software company and a global leader in e-intelligence software and services.

"This generous grant from SAS Institute is much more than a one-time gift to UNC," said Broad. "Faculty, staff and students from all 16 campuses will be working in collaboration with SAS in areas ranging from teacher education to administrative support. This partnership enables our campuses to investigate tools and technologies that will help us better respond to the emerging generation of learners. We are extremely fortunate to have such a strong resource right here in North Carolina."

Dr. Jim Goodnight, SAS president and CEO, said the grant would deliver state-of -the-art tools that will help university researchers compete for grants and complete research studies. The software also will enhance career placement functions and improve the overall efficiency of other university operations, he explained.

"One of our main goals with this project is to contribute to the effectiveness of our colleges and universities as well as promote the growth of technically skilled graduates, ready to take on real-world challenges," Goodnight said. "Our software will help streamline daily administrative activities and give students hands-on experience in technology and communications to prepare them for the business world of tomorrow."

The grant, covering software licensed from June 1, 2000, is broken into four major areas:

• Software licenses. SAS will license all UNC faculty, staff and students to use SAS products, which range from software packages designed for research to others that streamline administrative functions. There are no limits to the number of users or number of machines.
• SAS inSchool. SAS inSchool is an emerging line of software designed for schools. SAS will issue a license for use of this suite of software products by the 12,500 students and faculty in UNC's education programs, as well as those in professional development programs in the UNC Center for School Leadership Development. UNC's future teachers and education faculty will have the opportunity to gain experience with content-rich software they are likely to encounter in our schools.

"Strengthening North Carolina's public schools is one of the university's highest priorities," said Broad. "We are particularly pleased that this grant significantly supports our commitment to K-12 education in this state. SAS inSchool software will assist us in our efforts to prepare highly qualified teachers and expand development opportunities for those already in the work force."

• Decision-support tools. SAS will make available a series of products for decision support in the areas of finance, human resources and information technology management.
• SAS certification. Representatives from UNC will work with SAS to develop a SAS certification program for students and faculty in the university system.

"Immediately, we'll begin to implement the software and services to help strengthen the system's information technology," said Diana Oblinger, UNC's CIO and vice president for information resources. "The amount of energy and enthusiasm displayed every time our planning teams have met indicates that there is a great deal of synergy between UNC and SAS Institute. As our campuses have the opportunity to participate in the projects associated with this grant I think they will find that SAS has a lot to offer. This goes well beyond statistical analysis and computer science."

SAS Institute, the world's largest privately held software company, is a leader in decision support and data warehousing, providing integrated information-delivery solutions and e-business solutions for the enterprise. The company markets packaged business solutions for vertical industry and departmental applications, as well as an integrated suite of software tools and consulting services. These tools allow companies to transform the wide variety of data within their organizations into information that business users and researchers need to make better decisions. SAS software and services are used at more than 33,000 business, government and university sites in 110 countries. The company's 1999 revenues totaled $1.02 billion.

Please visit SAS Institute's Web site: www.sas.com.

Contact SAS Institute Inc, Les Hamashima, 919-677-8000 x5447, les.hamashima@sas.com, or The University of North Carolina, Ellen Klingler, 919-962-4628.