Northwood Joins SAP University Alliances Program
Northwood University in Midland said Monday it had joined the SAP University Alliances program, a global endeavor that provides university faculty members with the tools and resources necessary to teach students how technology can enable integrated business processes and strategic thinking, while also giving students the skills to add immediate value to the marketplace.
Students who participate in the program gain hands-on experience with SAP software and grow skills relevant to their careers and chosen fields.
"It is important for our students to have hands-on experience with tools that are an integral part of global business," said Joseph B. Wulffenstein, associate professor and chair of the Management Information Systems Department. "Therefore, we are incorporating SAP into courses across the university as faculty are trained. We have already implemented it into the ERP Systems course. In addition, we are supporting employers looking for workers skilled in using SAP software. The SAP University Alliances program allows us to prepare the next generation of knowledge workers to be productive with SAP software solutions and intelligently apply information technology in a business context."
The SAP University Alliances program is a global initiative with more than 1,000 member campuses in more than 60 countries. Through the program, professors and students are given access to the same software used by SAP customers and partners, including SAP Business Suite applications such as the enterprise resource planning application SAP ERP. This comprehensive business software suite supports business and information technology programs, helping students put classroom theory into practice through demonstrations, exercises and problem-solving, case studies and academic projects.
SAP donates licenses for its software at no cost to member universities and technical institutes for use in disciplines such as management, operations research, accounting, finance, marketing, and information technology and computer science.
SAP University Alliances provides valuable services tailored to the needs of Northwood University, including:
* The SAP University Alliances community -- The program features an advanced, interactive Web portal designed for the academic population worldwide that connects faculty, students, SAP customers and partners and SAP internal experts.
* Hosting services -- Northwood University gains access to SAP Business Suite software via hosting from an SAP-licensed, non-profit University Competence Center location at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which means there is no need to invest in a costly data center infrastructure to participate in the program.
* Curriculum support -- SAP sponsors new curriculum efforts in the academic community in order to build a collection of ready-to-use, faculty-developed course materials that can be shared among member campuses.
* Professional development and networking -- Northwood University professors can take advantage of free SAP-sponsored curriculum workshops offered during semester breaks and annual academic conferences for members.
SAP is the world's leading provider of business software, offering enterprise resource planning, business intelligence and related applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. Global demand for certified SAP professionals increases every year and SAP is dedicated to helping universities enable students to hit the ground running at companies using SAP software.
Private, nonprofit, and accredited, Northwood University specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education at three full-service, residential campuses located in southern Florida, mid-Michigan and northern Texas. Adult degree programs are available in eight states with many course delivery options including an online option. The DeVos Graduate School offers full-time, evening and industry specific master's degree programs for entrepreneurs and executives in Michigan, Texas, Florida and Switzerland. The Alden B. Dow Center for Creativity and Enterprise in Midland specializes in creative thinking and innovation development. International education is offered through study abroad and in Program Centers in Switzerland, China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Northwood University also operates the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Maine.
