The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Prairie View A &(G)M Recieves $60 Million In CAD/CAM/CAE Stuff

FOR RELEASE: January 22, 2002

Prairie View A&M University Students Benefit From $60 Million CAD/CAM/CAE System Donation

Leading African-American engineering institution receives largest ever in-kind donation to an HBCU

Prairie View, Texas - General Motors Corp., Sun Microsystems and EDS continue to demonstrate their commitment to education by donating more than $60 million in computer-aided design, manufacturing, and engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE) software, hardware and training to Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) University, Prairie View, Texas.

This corporate alliance initiative, titled Partners for the Advancement of CAD/CAM/CAE Education (PACE), was formed in 1999 to help provide future engineers from key institutions the education and experience desired by each of the partnering corporations.

PACE creates networks for research, curriculum development, textbook development and other forms of collaboration between GM, Sun Microsystems, EDS and academia. In addition to the hardware, software and training donated by the three core partners, PACE institutions receive a substantial contribution of ADAMS (Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems) software from Mechanical Dynamics, Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Students at Prairie View will now be using the same advanced math-based engineering and design tools in the classroom that GM engineers used in the lab to design the award-winning 2002 Chevy Avalanche and GMC Envoy. Students will learn to design, engineer and validate products in a virtual world to prepare them to address real-world challenges such as accelerated product development cycles and increased productivity demands.

"The technology that PACE has donated represents the future of engineering and design. Our industry demands that we move quickly and deliver unsurpassed quality, reliability and durability in every product that rolls off the line," says Jerry Gibbs, GM executive director of North America Product Development Quality. "By the time they graduate, these students will be among the most experienced and highly skilled graduates to enter the work force. Companies such as ours will turn to them for innovative ideas and the know-how to deliver excellent products."

Prairie View A&M University, a comprehensive, public, land-grant university and member of the Texas A&M University System, is one of the nation's top producers of African-American engineers. Prairie View joins an elite list of universities in the United States, Canada and Mexico benefiting from a donation of leading-edge technology that will help prepare students for careers in engineering and manufacturing.

"We're very pleased to be a part of this program and grateful for the mutually beneficial and strategic relationships we will be developing with all of the PACE partners," said Prairie View A&M University President Dr. Charles A. Hines at a donation ceremony held today on the campus of Prairie View University. "This significant gift of computer hardware and software, as well as the training and technical support to operate those systems, will help to ensure Prairie View's long tradition of preparing the top technical and managerial leaders of the future. Combined with the recent Office of Civil Rights Priority Plan for Prairie View A&M, the past 12 months have been the most resource-rich environment ever experienced in PVAMU's history and continue the University's march to increased excellence. This is the largest gift in the history of our university."

Prairie View is the sixteenth university to receive a PACE donation. Strategically selected universities are invited to participate in the program based on their ability to meet specific criteria, including:

  • A long-term relationship with GM as a primary educational partner
  • A strong product development and manufacturing curriculum
  • An adequate infrastructure of facilities, maintenance systems and personnel to support the donated hardware and software
  • A willingness to integrate UGS software into the engineering curriculum

"The PACE program has provided a wealth of partnerships," said Dr. Robert Mitchell, dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, one of the first institutions to receive a PACE donation. "The industry members are key partners as we work to provide a relevant engineering education that is attractive to our students and our future students. The universities on the team form another layer of partnerships that allows us to learn from each other and to share at many levels. The global perspective of the PACE program is an important dimension that is connecting us to a worldwide team. And of course the equipment and the software are state of the art. I could not have dreamed up a better program."

PACE has made donations to universities in the United States, Canada and Mexico including: Michigan Technological University, Michigan State University, University of Missouri-Rolla, Tuskegee University, Kettering University, Northwestern University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Queen's University, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Toluca, Monterrey and Mexico Campuses), Universidad Iberoamericana, and the Instituto Technologico Autonomo de Mexico. The total value of these donations to date is more than $789 million.