Herald Journal New Article
Dec 2, 1999

SU to open new computer center
$150,000 grant will be used for lab that will teach students and manufacturers.

By Juliana Gittler

Thanks to a state grant, Syracuse University will open a unique computer center next year to teach students and local manufacturers about a growing industry trend.

The center will teach enterprise resource planning, a phrase that refers to blending traditional manufacturing duties with business functions like marketing, finance and human resources.

The center, called the Central New York Enterprise Systems Laboratory, will be completed by February through a $150,000 grant to the university secured by state Sen. Nancy Larraine Hoffmann, R-Fabius.

Enterprise resource planning is an important concept in manufacturing, and learning it will prepare students and local manufacturers to better meet competition, according to university officials.

SU's program will help "enhance the position of local firms in the increasingly intense global competitions they all face," said Edward A. Bogucz, dean of the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science. "To help manufacturing companies in Central New York retain and enlarge their work forces."

The lab will teach skills using computers, networks and other electronic data transmissions.

The center will include two high-end computer servers, 14 desktop computers and educational tools like special projectors.

Hoffmann, an SU graduate and the daughter of an engineer, said the center will strengthen the partnership between local industry and SU.

Michael Fleming, president of the Manufacturers' Association of Central New York, referred to the center as the meat on the bones of such a partnership. He said Syracuse is among the few areas to experience a recent growth in manufacturing.

Since the grant money was secured, the university received more than $1 million in donated software and services to enhance enterprise resource planning. The university also hired a new instructor in the department.

SU will start a certificate program in enterprise resource planning next year.

Thursday, December 2, 1999