Tyson Foods Supports Enterprise Systems at University of Arkansas

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Left to right, Paul Cronan, professor of information systems; Moez Limayem, chair of information systems department; Gary Cooper, senior vice president and chief information officer of Tyson Foods; David Douglas, University Professor of information systems; Sharon Gaber, University of Arkansas Provost; and Walton College Dean Dan Worrell

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – An ongoing partnership between the information systems department in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and Tyson Foods Inc. enables students to gain hands-on experience with real business enterprise software, greatly enhancing their opportunities for jobs after graduation.

Gary Cooper, senior vice president and chief information officer of Tyson Foods, presented a check for $75,000 to the information systems department on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in conjunction with Tyson IT Appreciation Day, to continue the company’s support of the enterprise systems curriculum.

Since 2000, Tyson Foods has been the corporate sponsor of the enterprise systems program and curriculum in the Walton College; further, they have provided financial funding in each of those years for the enterprise curriculum.

 “Gary and Tyson Foods have also supported the enterprise systems and the information systems department in many other ways,” said Moez Limayen, chair of the information systems department. “He has created a video, supported IT days, provided guest speakers in numerous classes and serves on the Enterprise Computing Steering Committee, the Information Technology Research Institute and the Information Systems Advisory Council. Because of his support, students have educational opportunities that would not otherwise be possible. Most importantly, Tyson hires our graduates.”

David Douglas, University Professor and director of the enterprise systems program, said, “Enrollment in undergraduate enterprise resource planning classes this fall is about three times as many as in fall 2007; further, the curriculum is now recognized as a top program worldwide. Clearly, this would not have been possible without Tyson’s support, and the students are the beneficiaries. We cannot thank Gary enough for supporting us.”

The University of Arkansas is the only university in the world running SAP BI ERP software on an IBM System z in zLinux and using z/OS DB2. SAP is the current market leader in enterprise resource planning systems. This enterprise system allows faculty and students at other universities worldwide who are members of the IBM Academic Alliance and SAP University Alliance to access the system for academic purposes. More than 1,000 students from these universities have used the system this past year.

Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE:TSN), founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Ark., is the world's largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. Tyson provides products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 117,000 team members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world.