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Tom Reck

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Helping To Make CSU, Chico Better

CSU, Chico's College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology has received a number of million-dollar computer gifts over the past two years, but none has been bigger than the software package given to the college by Cadence Design Systems, Inc. On November 9, 1998, the Silicon Valley high-tech firm formally presented university officials with a suite of software design tools for fifty UNIX and seventy-five NT computer work stations. This donation is the culmination of a three-year effort between Cadence and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at CSU, Chico. Thaddeus Salter, manager of university relations for Cadence, put the value of one full suite of tools per work station or design seat at $4.8 million, with the total value of the software gift to CSU, Chico at $251.9 million. The software will be installed in computer labs in CSU, Chico's O'Connell Technology Center

Considered to be the leading design simulation software in the industry, the Cadence software is used by IBM, Hewlett Packard, Intel, and other technology leaders in designing and analyzing circuits and components. CSU, Chico is only one of a handful of top universities that have the Cadence software. Other universities include MIT, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, University of Maryland, USC, and UC, Berkeley.

Salter, a 1988 alumnus of CSU, Chico, and Vahid Vafaei represented Cadence at the November event. Vafaei, a lead applications engineer, demonstrated the software's capabilities to a standing-room-only crowd of faculty, staff, students, and reporters. Having the Cadence software gives electrical and computer engineering students a special opportunity to use state-of-the-art tools in circuit design, said Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair Lou Harrold. "Young engineers must know simulation, and now our students will have the Cadillac of computer-aided design tools," said Harrold. "Cadence software will transform our curriculum and create new partnerships with other technology firms."

Roughly $10 million in other software gifts have also been recently received by the college, including more than $4 million worth of software from Parametric Technology Corporation, for computer-aided design and manufacturing; Platinum Technology software valued at $1.2 million, for object-oriented modeling and design; and two gifts of animation and computer-aided graphics software worth $500,000 from Newtek and Silicon Grail, respectively.

"Having this software not only gives our students tremendous leverage in the job market, it forces them to become quick learners and creative thinkers," said College Dean Ken Derucher. "Thanks to Cadence and other technology firms, we can offer students computer labs equipped with software second to none."

Joe Wills, Public Affairs