PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 9, 2005 – The University of Pennsylvania and Lenovo today announced a comprehensive partnership that will feature ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops as part of a campus-wide technology initiative, signifying the university’s continuous commitment to innovation and technology leadership.
In a three year, multi-million dollar deal, Penn will offer its students, faculty, staff, medical professionals and alumni the opportunity to purchase ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops at the university’s negotiated preferred contract pricing. The use of wireless-enabled ThinkPad notebooks allows users to access information anytime and anywhere, increasing the productivity and collaboration of university students, faculty and medical professionals.
“This is a groundbreaking partnership for Penn, as it’s the first time a contract has included provisions for each of our constituent groups. The Lenovo agreement not only covers purchases by the institution and our health system, but extends our purchasing benefits to our students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well,” said Craig Carnaroli, Penn’s executive vice president. “As the home of the first all-purpose digital computer, Penn continues to be interested in technological innovations,” Carnaroli continued. “Working with Lenovo will provide us with top of the line information systems and tools that support and enhance our productivity. This will be an exciting time for the Penn community.”
Ranked fourth in the 2005 U.S. News & World Report survey of national universities, Penn continues to set trends in higher education. From its highly regarded undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, to its wide-ranging program of interdisciplinary research and scholarship, Penn takes pride in being a place where students and faculty can pursue knowledge without boundaries.
“As a world-class, Ivy League institution, Penn recognizes that the pace of change is often driven by the evolution and adoption of new technologies,” said Deepak Advani, chief marketing officer, Lenovo Group. “By integrating ThinkPad and ThinkCentre PCs into its academic environment, Penn is offering its students enhanced and collaborative learning experiences, successfully preparing them to use today’s most advanced technologies for tomorrow’s opportunities.”
About Penn The University of Pennsylvania, the country’s first university, is an Ivy League institution with a distinctive past. Its 12 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools are located in Philadelphia on an attractive urban campus, a diverse community with more than 20,000 students from throughout the nation and around the world. Ranked consistently among the top 10 national universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings of “America’s Best Colleges,” Penn has a long-standing reputation for excellence in graduate and professional education, with a number of its graduate and professional schools ranked at or near the top in their fields.
About Lenovo Group Ltd. Lenovo (HKSE: 992; ADR: LNVGY) is the world’s third-largest personal computing company. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company employs 19,000 people worldwide and develops, manufactures, and markets reliable, secure, and easy-to-use technology products. For more information, see www.lenovo.com.
About ThinkVantage Technologies ThinkVantage Technologies are available on ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops, available through Lenovo Group Limited. ThinkVantage Technologies help make PCs less dependent on IT staff or user intervention for basic tasks such deployment, backup, maintenance and security, freeing up users and IT staff to focus on competitive advantages in their business. According to industry analysts, costs associated with deployment, support and disposal account for approximately 80 percent of the entire PC lifecycle cost. For more information, please visit www.lenovo.com/think .