The University of Akron's success in its Aspire. Attain. Advance. comprehensive fund-raising campaign has many sources, and the university has announced a major component of the campaign's $606.5 million total to date — the in-kind gift from Siemens AG of its PLM NX digital product development software, valued at $218 million.

About UA's College of Engineering
UA's College of Engineering experienced a 25 percent increase in student enrollment between 2004 and 2007, making it the fourth fastest growing college of engineering in the United States (among the 150 largest; data source: American Society for Engineering Education) and the fastest growing in the state. The college's current 1,926 undergraduate enrollment represents a 39.3 percent increase in enrollment between fall 2004 and fall 2008. Learn more about the college.

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"We are most grateful for this significant gift from Siemens. The future of The University of Akron - and higher education as a whole - will be determined by innovative partnerships between universities and corporate leaders," says Dr. Luis M. Proenza, president of The University of Akron. "This donation clearly demonstrates the importance of these relationships, which will not only benefit our students but our entire region as well."

The university's College of Engineering is receiving the in-kind donation from Europe's largest engineering conglomerate, Siemens AG, headquartered in Munich. The software, already installed in the College of Engineering laboratory computers, will provide integrated, high-performance product design, simulation, documentation, tooling and manufacturing for UA students. The gift includes 300 licenses and technical support for three complementary software packages.

Advanced technology

The software donation will assist the College of Engineering's goal of producing high-quality engineers with vital hands-on experience with the latest advanced technology to reduce manufacturing cycle times and costs in the workplace, according to Dr. George K. Haritos, dean of the College of Engineering.

"This strategic, state-of-the-art 3-D technology also will significantly complement our faculty and student cross-disciplinary research, in consonance with UA's approach to research - augmenting a collaborative environment among our various engineering specialties as well as among the university's academic units," he says.

More than $7 million of the in-kind gift will support student participation in hybrid electric vehicle and advanced energy systems projects, which provide real-world vehicle development opportunities. For example, UA's Challenge X team consistently placed among the top teams in recent North America competitions and placed second in 2005.

See also:

• The Aspire. Attain. Advance. comprehensive campaign for UA
• Pledge to the campaign