February 2009
Art Center College of Design has been selected as one of the first art and design colleges to join the prestigious Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) alliance.
The PACE corporate alliance includes General Motors; Autodesk; EDS, an HP Company; HP; Siemens PLM Software; and Sun Microsystems.
According to PACE officials, Art Center’s inclusion in this program signals the automotive industry’s increasing recognition of design’s importance in shaping the evolution of vehicles and their use in the future.
Acknowledging the honor, Art Center’s Interim President Dr. Frank L. Ellsworth said, “Sincere thanks to PACE for including Art Center College of Design in this very distinguished and valuable partnership. The leading-edge software that PACE can provide our students is vital to their education experience and to their professional potential. By recognizing the value of a design education and design research, PACE is imbuing a new generation of innovators with the creative skills necessary to collectively transform the industry.”
As part of the new relationship with PACE, Art Center will receive computer-based engineering and design software, hardware, technology and training that will enhance Art Center’s art and design programs. The College has already received six HP workstations, five space navigators and three Cintiq Tablets.
Art Center’s membership in PACE places the College in the distinguished company of more than 46 prestigious universities around the world, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, and universities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Sweden and South Korea.
“The inclusion of Art Center College of Design in the PACE consortium is important as it reinforces the role design plays in the automotive industry, and the leadership role that Art Center plays in educating tomorrow’s design professionals,” said Joe Astroth, Autodesk’s Vice President of Learning and Education.
“Autodesk is very enthusiastic about participating in this partnership and providing students with access to the latest 2D and 3D design technologies.”
“Siemens PLM Software strives to develop meaningful and lasting partnerships that provide significant value for academic institutions, students, and displaced workers in our global communities,” said Ed Arlin, Senior Vice President, General Motors, Siemens PLM Software.
“We will continue to work closely with Art Center College of Design to enrich its design engineering programs and positively impact its ability to develop top-notch engineers and technologists. Today’s leading manufacturers compete on the basis of time to market, product cost, quality, and innovation. We are glad that the students will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with virtual collaboration technology that supports these objectives.”
PACE was formed in 1999 to support academic institutions worldwide with computer-based engineering tools to prepare designers, engineers, and analysts with the skills to compete in the automotive industry of the future.
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Read ART CENTRE COLLEGE OF DESIGN ARTICLES on TAXI Design Network
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