SAIC, in partnership with NASA, presented UAH's College of Business Administration with a $100,000 check in support of their SAP and Information Systems programs. Pictured left to right are John Possel, Technical Director, EAST Program, SAIC; Chuck Lewis, Program Manager, EAST Program, Senior Director, SAIC; Dr. Jatinder (Jeet) Gupta, Associate Dean and Eminent Scholar; Pam Hanes, Director, NASA Enterprise Application Competency Center; and Dr. Caron St. John, Dean, CBA.
Michael Mercier | UAH
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), in partnership with NASA, presented the College of Business Administration at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) with a $100,000 check last month in support of the College's SAP and Information Systems programs. The funding helps bring world-leading SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to the university's business majors and ensures that the College's curriculum stays current with industry standards.
"I am thrilled at the continued relationship with and support from SAIC, which allows us to expand our SAP-related education to our students at the graduate and undergraduate levels," says Dr. Jatinder (Jeet) Gupta, Eminent Scholar in Management of Technology and Associate Dean of Graduate & Sponsored Programs for the College. "This support from SAIC will jumpstart our efforts to enhance SAP integration and offerings in our academic programs and research so that we can support the increasing needs for a workforce educated in SAP and information systems in our community."
SAIC, a premier technology integrator with approximately 15,000 employees, is a longtime supporter of the College's SAP program. In 2006, after receiving a grant from SAP University Alliances to access the software, Dr. Gupta reached out to SAIC for additional assistance to train faculty to develop and teach courses with SAP content. SAIC, which supports both the NASA and Army missions at nearby Redstone Arsenal, immediately saw the benefit of growing a local workforce of trained SAP professionals.
"Universities are wellsprings of ingenuity and innovation," says Chuck Lewis, Program Manager of SAIC's EAST Program. "This has been a rewarding partnership for SAIC, UAH, our customers, and most importantly, the students."
Over the years, SAIC's generosity has allowed the College to expand its SAP offerings. The College has provided some level of hands-on education and training to more than 2,500 students to date, and has integrated SAP into twelve of its courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students have also benefited from further exposure through experiential learning opportunities with companies that use SAP ERP.
"We thank SAIC for their continued support," says Dr. Caron St. John, Dean of the College. "They are a wonderful partner of the College – and are helping us offer our students a state-of-the-art experience."
