EMBARGOED UNTIL FEB. 17, 1998


					Feb. 17, 1998
					Contacts: Charlotte Crystal ,
U.Va., (804) 924-6858
						    Naomi Y. Wilsey,
IBM,    (781) 895-2154 

IBM and U.Va. in Multi-Million-Dollar Strategic Alliance 
LANDMARK COLLABORATION BLENDS TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH

       The University of Virginia and IBM have entered into a
multi-million-dollar strategic alliance that will accelerate the
integration of leading-edge information technology into the
University's educational and research programs.
        In each of its first five years, the alliance has the
potential to increase IBM's support of the University, which has been
valued at about $1 million a year. If successful, the affiliation will
be evaluated and may be extended beyond that.
        "IBM has long been a generous partner in the pursuit of
excellence in the classroom and the laboratory," said U.Va. President
John T. Casteen III. "We are deeply grateful for IBM's willingness to
advance its collaboration with our faculty and students to a new
level."
        The alliance, the first of its kind that IBM has entered into
with a public university, will help U.Va. support more advanced work
by students, faculty, and researchers. In its initial phase, the
venture will support leading-edge programs in the School of
Engineering and Applied Science, the McIntire School of Commerce, the
Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, the University
Library, and the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
(IATH).
        "The University of Virginia recognizes the importance of
incorporating information technologies into the teaching and research
processes of a university environment," said U.Va. Vice President and
Chief Information Officer Polley Ann McClure. "This partnership comes
at an especially appropriate time to enhance our work and to bring
exciting and meaningful changes to the delivery of education."
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         Initial projects include support for clean room processing
equipment for microelectronics teaching, sponsored faculty research,
internships, and development of electronic business and multimedia
resource centers. Other activities focus on challenges in biomedical
engineering and high-performance computing. Additional projects with
the Health Sciences Center and elsewhere are also under discussion.
	"Our alliance with U.Va. reflects a shared strategy of using
technology to enhance the academic enterprise,"said Sean Rush, general
manager, IBM Global Education.  "This effort will make a real impact
by delivering leading-edge technology that meets the challenges faced
by the faculty and students of today and the scientific and business
leaders of tomorrow."
	From IBM's perspective, the alliance will provide a wide range
of classroom and laboratory settings in which to develop and test
advanced equipment and software. The strategic alliance offers
business benefits to IBM and the University.
        "We believe we can bring significant technological know-how to
the alliance while gaining valuable knowledge in developing and
testing application solutions and in equipping students and faculty
researchers with the tools they will need for the future," said John
E. Kelly III, vice president of IBM's server group and campus
executive for U.Va.
           IBM has a longstanding relationship with the University and
cites its excellence in many areas as the foundation for the
partnership. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University of
Virginia today is the nation's top-ranked public university, according
to 1997 rankings compiled by U.S. News & World Report. The magazine
also rated the McIntire School of Commerce fifth among undergraduate
business schools, while Business Week ranked the Darden School fifth
among the nation's graduate business schools. Participants in
executive education programs ranked Darden the best in the world,
according to Business Week.
         The University Library is ranked 20th in the country by the
Association of Research Libraries. And the School of Engineering and
Applied Science departments of materials science and biomedical
engineering are both ranked in the top 20 nationally by U.S. News &
World Report.
        Armonk, N.Y.-based International Business Machines Corp., a
leader in technology for 40 years, has long been one of the largest
corporate supporters of U.Va. In 1992, IBM provided a major grant to
establish IATH, the technology and humanities institute, which has
received national recognition for innovation in incorporating advanced
technology into the teaching of history, art and literature.
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	The company also has provided state-of-the-art equipment for
use in the Medical Center's program in medical imaging, for image
analysis in the Cardiovascular Research Center, and for development of
complex global environmental models in the department of environmental
sciences.  IBM has recently announced a collaboration with Intel and
Olympus to provide advanced voice digital technology, and discussions
have begun with the Medical Center to develop applications of this
technology in the health care field.
	The IBM Global Education Industry is a unit of IBM, the
world's largest information technology company. The Global Education
Industry provides targeted products, consulting and services to K-12
education and institutions of higher education throughout North
America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. IBM's Higher Education
homepage is located at: http://www.hied.ibm.com
	The following term is a trademark of the IBM Corp. in the
United States or other countries or both: IBM.

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