Colorado State’s College of Business Receives $4 Million Software Donation from J. D. Edwards& Company of Denver

J. D. Edwards & Company, one of the world’s leading providers of e-commerce software, has donated four sets of its flagship business software product to Colorado State University’s College of Business for use in its technology-based curriculum.

The total market value of the software, noted Rick Allen, chief financial officer at J. D. Edwards, is $4 million. The software will allow business students to learn firsthand what enterprise and inter-enterprise software is all about, how it works and why it is changing the face of business.

"We are impressed with the business college at Colorado State University, especially their views on technology in business," noted Allen. "We believe our gift of our One world(TM) software will enhance their instructional programs even further."

"We are always actively looking for the latest technology to expand our minds and improve our skills, for both faculty and students." said Dan Costello, dean of the College of Business. "Bringing the latest business tool into the classroom is the cornerstone of business education at Colorado State. This gift from J. D. Edwards helps us incorporate this cutting-edge technology into the learning process."

The OneWorld software program is one of the leading business software systems on the market today. Introduced in 1996, the software combines a full range of business tracking and planning systems, allowing businesses to monitor and synchronize both back- and front- office functions. Accounting, manufacturing, distribution and human resources can work simultaneously with front-office functions such as marketing, sales and promotion in one comprehensive system.

"Business is evolving from the old silo method and so should business education," said Ted Weston, professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems in the college. "Through their gift, J. D. Edwards is helping our college meet that challenge."

As an example, Weston used the hypothetical Widget Manufacturing Company model. "An order comes in and that information is input into the single, centralized database. Every employee will be able to track that transaction from A to Z: from sales order to processing to manufacturing to packaging to delivery and follow-up. Every department gets updated as the transaction occurs," said Weston. "By transaction, I mean new orders, updates to forecasts, new part numbers, new customers, new vendors, etc. With this expanded enterprise system, information is input and the entire system is updated appropriately, simultaneously and independent of location. I can view a master file in the United States, make changes, and my offices around the world will have that file updated in different languages and different currencies. The New York office will see the file in English, in dollars, but the office in Berlin will view it simultaneously in German and in Euros."

Business students who learn systems integration, e-commerce, business process re-engineering, global business and change management have a jump in today’s hiring market.

"In our rapidly evolving e-business economy, it’s critically important that students have hands-on experience with state-of-the-art business integration software," said John Plotnicki, chairman of the Department of Computer Information Systems.

Founded in 1977, J.D. Edwards & Company is headquartered in Denver and posted fiscal 1999 revenues of $944.2 million. It is a publicly traded company with more than 4,700 customers and sites in over 100 countries. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Company at 1-800-727-5333, or via the Internet at www.jdedwards.com.