Howard University Receives In-Kind Software Grant Valued at $150 Million from Siemens PLM Software

PLANO, Texas, and WASHINGTON D.C. – Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced a series of in-kind software grants valued at more than $150 million to Howard University. Taken together, the grants represent the largest in the history of Howard University.

Siemens PLM Software made this announcement in conjunction with the Business Software Alliance CEO Forum, a gathering of chief executives from the software and computer hardware industry being held in Washington D.C. Siemens PLM Software CEO Tony Affuso and the other executives will discuss the economy and technology policy issues with senior officials in the Obama Administration and in Congress, highlighting the many ways that information technology delivers solutions to the nation’s most pressing economic and social challenges.

The in-kind grants were made through Siemens PLM Software’s GO PLM™ Program and include engineering software, student/instructor training and specialized certification programs. Designed for engineering, engineering technology, manufacturing, industrial design, and design and drafting programs, these software tools are instrumental in educating the next generation of PLM engineers and technologists and preparing them for future careers.

"We want to express our gratitude to Siemens PLM Software for their generous donation. By using the same world-class design and engineering tools that leading-edge companies use, we’re strengthening our engineering curriculum and ensuring that our students gain the essential knowledge and practical experience necessary to prepare them to enter the workforce as future engineers,” said James H. Johnson, Jr., Dean College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences, Howard University.

“Our customers include some of the world’s most innovative companies and they rely on our software solutions to design and develop some of the most widely used products and services across various industries including consumer packaged goods, high tech and electronics, automotive, aerospace and defense, among others,” said Dave Shirk, executive vice president, Global Marketing, Siemens PLM Software. “When looking for new employees, these companies are far more likely to select a candidate that is well-versed with the tools that are utilized in their organization. We’re proud to be expanding our software grant program across schools and universities nationwide, and helping to facilitate and nurture the careers of the next generation of engineers.”

Howard University

Howard University is one of only 48 U.S. private, Doctoral/Research-Extensive universities, comprising 12 schools and colleges with 10,500 students enjoying academic pursuits in more than 120 areas of study leading to undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. The University continues to attract the nation’s top students and produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D.s than any other university in the world. Since 1998, the University has produced a Rhodes Scholar, a Truman Scholar, six Fulbright Scholars and nine Pickering Fellows.

GO PLM Program

Siemens PLM Software’s GO PLM™ initiative leads the industry in the commercial value of the in-kind grants it provides and brings together four complementary community involvement programs focused on academic partnership, regional productivity, youth and displaced worker development and the PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) program. GO PLM provides PLM technology to more than 1,000,000 students yearly at nearly 10,200 global institutions, where it is used at every academic level – from middle schools to graduate engineering research programs.