Press release:

The Pennsylvania State University Transforms Technology Education and Enhances Infrastructure Through NetApp’s Education Donation Program

University’s Center for Enterprise Architecture Creates New Program for the Next Generation of CIOs, CTOs

University Park, PA. – August 24, 2012 –The Pennsylvania State University is known internationally as one of the best public research universities in the United States, with total enrollment approaching 100,000 students. It ranks no. 1 in the United States among universities with information technology degrees. The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology has created a unique interdisciplinary program in enterprise architecture that integrates computer science, information technology, and business. The Center for Enterprise Architecture (CEA) needed storage capacity to support this important technology-intensive research agenda and the degree programs. The CEA is in the process of creating an innovative lab environment and was thrilled to be approached by NetApp to participate in NetApp’s Education Donation Program. NetApp’s program has already awarded over 100 systems in the past 6 months to universities and K–12 institutions that demonstrated an innovative approach to education. Penn State received a $250,000 Storage System and Software award for the Center for Enterprise Architecture.

As one of the most well-known learning institutions globally, Penn State holds nurturing and creating progress in professional practices as a critical element of its mission. Through its donation to Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology and its Center for Enterprise Architecture, NetApp has enabled the university to better support this mission. Prior to NetApp’s engagement with Penn State, the CEA had limited resources for data storage, preventing the center from leveraging its full academic and research potential. By deploying NetApp® solutions with a consolidated enterprise approach to storage, the Center for Enterprise Architecture will have the capabilities to support the future storage needs of its students and faculty and its new Professional Masters in Enterprise Architecture Program. 

In recognition of NetApp’s donation to the Center for Enterprise Architecture, Dean David Hall of the College of Information Sciences and Technology met with NetApp executives earlier this summer. NetApp’s equipment will be deployed as part of a new educational laboratory environment in which students will be able to perform research and participate in hands-on learning experiences. The NetApp system offers Penn State the flexibility, performance, availability, and responsiveness to growth needed to provide ample capacity to address both research and infrastructure demands.

"With the equipment we received through NetApp’s Education Donation Program, we will have cutting-edge technologies available to our researchers and advanced educational programs, including the new Professional Masters in Enterprise Architecture Program," said Dr. Brian Cameron, executive director, Center for Enterprise Architecture. "We are very excited to be working with NetApp, and with their technologies we can quickly start to engage our students in hands-on, practical research and educational scenarios to expose them to a real-world storage and information architecture environment."

In today’s challenging economic and competitive environment, the need for greater efficiency, effectiveness, and agility is crucial for organizations of all types and sizes.  Enterprise architecture professionals are at the forefront of this movement, striving to correctly and effectively leverage technology to meet the business goals of an organization. These professionals need to integrate strategic, business, and technology planning methods with an ability to understand, analyze, justify, and communicate the solution of enterprise architecture problems. To meet the increased demand for enterprise architecture professionals, Penn State has developed the Master of Professional Studies Program in Enterprise Architecture through the College of Information Sciences and Technology.

"Penn State’s Center for Enterprise Architecture is among the most innovative and unique information technology degree programs being offered by universities today. Its curriculum aligns closely with NetApp’s vision for the future of high-performance, data-driven information technologies," said Regina Kunkle, vice president of State and Local Government and Higher Education, NetApp. "Creative innovation in education and technology will be vitally important as we increasingly rely on storage technologies to provide the backbone of critical government and business infrastructure. Penn State is leading the charge to educate future CIOs and CTOs with this in mind. We hope that, through NetApp’s Education Donation Program, students will have unprecedented access to our technology to support their education goals and facilitate continued advancement in storage and IT performance."

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