A substantial gift of computer equipment has been presented to the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder by Sun Microsystems, headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., according to engineering Dean Ross Corotis.
The donated equipment, which will be used to support education in software engineering, includes a Sun Enterprise 3500 file server and 20 Sun Ultra10 workstations with 17-inch color monitors.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will inaugurate the new equipment Friday, Oct. 9, at 10:30 a.m. in room ECCR 1B54 of the Engineering Center. Attending will be Larry Hambly, president of Sun Enterprise Services, the support, consulting, and education division of Sun Microsystems located in Broomfield. CU-Boulder engineering faculty, students and administrators also will attend.
Housed in the Computer Science Educational Lab facility in the Engineering Center, the equipment will be used in courses such as object-oriented design, software engineering methods and tools, component-based software design, and user interface design.
"This gift is a wonderful example of corporate support of CU聮s Total Learning Environment initiative," said Corotis. "With this generous donation, Sun Microsystems will help us continue to provide leading-edge learning opportunities for our students."
Karl Winklmann, chair of computer sciences, said the gift will "help the college respond to a rapid rise in the number of students interested in computer sciences. Support from our corporate partners like Sun Microsystems is crucial to our ability to serve these students." The department currently numbers almost 400 undergraduate majors and about 180 graduate students.
Winklmann said the gift illustrates Sun聮s ongoing commitment to education since its founding at Stanford University in 1982. "Beginning with its early customers in schools and colleges, Sun Microsystems has continued to provide the tools and technology for continued innovation and excellence in education and research."
He said Sun has "played a leading role in education technology among several segments of the educational community, including K-12, academic and research, administrative computing and libraries."
"Education and corporate citizenship are the cornerstones of our company," said Bill Richardson, vice president and general manager of Sun Educational Services and member of the Advisory Board for CU-Boulder聮s computer sciences department. Richardson also serves on the engineering college聮s Resource Development Committee.
"This partnership with the University of Colorado will not only benefit the students involved in the computer science department, but the community as a whole," Richardson said. "By providing students with advanced technology, we are enhancing the local talent pool along the Front Range and providing the skills necessary for these students to compete in a rapidly changing technological world.