Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Business

by Nina Hanke, SAS

In a world that runs on intelligence, the links between business and academia are inevitably growing closer than ever. Dr. Jim Goodnight, SAS’ CEO, has acknowledged this, saying, "I know that you, our customers, need qualified people who can exploit the investment you have made in SAS. Through our Academic Initiative, SAS is going to continue to ensure that you have the qualified people you need."

With commitment to this vision, SAS partners with universities and business schools in departments as diverse as marketing, finance, molecular biology, geology, engineering, life sciences, business studies and, of course, statistics.

In addition to providing software and support within the academic setting, the SAS Academic Initiative puts instructors, students and researchers in direct contact with industry experts, business managers and SAS technology experts. By establishing this network, students can apply what they are learning in the real world. The initiative also feeds ideas back into the learning cycle, ensuring that curricula remain current, relevant and interesting.

This bridge between academia and business has been very successful at bringing cutting-edge research by some of the brightest minds to companies that might not otherwise have the benefit of staff dedicated to such "blue sky" research projects.

For instance, Kristin Eriksson, a 2004 SAS Student Ambassador, worked on a warranty analysis project at Uppsala University in Sweden using SAS Text Miner on warranty data from Volvo Trucks. Academic projects such as Eriksson’s have a direct benefit to businesses that are looking for insightful ways to refine their manufacturing procedures to improve safety and customer satisfaction.

Americo Todisco, another 2004 Student Ambassador, is enrolled in his third year of the doctoral program in learned economics at the University of Siena in Italy. His doctoral thesis involves the creation of models to address credit risk requirements for Basel II compliance by accurately predicting default probabilities for large commercial borrowers. Using SAS, he was able to come up with more than 70 different financial ratios that can discriminate between solvent and insolvent companies, potentially saving millions for banks by dramatically reducing their credit risk.

SAS’ efforts to bridge the gap between academia and business culminate annually at SAS Forum International, the premier international event for enterprise intelligence, where five selected Student Ambassadors can present their research projects to a targeted audience of business and public sector leaders. For managers in private industry and the public sector, Student Ambassador presentations are a source of fresh approaches to existing challenges. For the Student Ambassadors, this program offers excellent exposure to an otherwise hard-to-reach job market. Over the years, many of them have received job offers within hours of giving their presentations.

In addition to the Student Ambassador Competition, SAS recognizes a university or business school that has taken innovative steps toward preparing their students for success. The 2004 Academic Intelligence Award winner was Poland’s Warsaw School of Economics for its innovative teaching of SAS and its use in research.

According to Ewa Fratczak, professor in the school’s Institute of Statistics and Demography, "Students who get hands-on experience with SAS enter the world of business with a huge competitive advantage. We aim at good and professional education for our students, which prepares them for both research work and business activity. We do appreciate the initiatives of SAS in this field."

SAS’ support of education comes from its own academic origins and from Goodnight’s unflagging commitment to ensuring that SAS customers have qualified employees who are prepared to address the business challenges of tomorrow.