Northrop Grumman presents gift to UVa-Wise math and science competition

Mike King, director of Strategy and Business Development for Northrop Grumman Information Technology’s Commercial State and Local group,

UVa-Wise Chancellor David J. Prior, former UVa-Wise Chancellor ad interim George Culbertson and UVa-Wise Professor Van Daniel hold the check presented by Northrop Grumman to the Sigma Zeta Math-Science Competition at UVa-Wise.

Local high school students who excel in mathematics and science will soon reap the benefits of a gift presented by Northrop Grumman Corporation for the Sigma Zeta Math-Science Competition at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

A 37-year tradition at UVa-Wise, the competition is presented annually by the College’s chapter of Sigma Zeta, a national honor society whose purpose is to promote interest in the study of mathematics and the sciences and to recognize students who have attained outstanding achievement in those fields. To be eligible for membership, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in all math and science courses completed.

Northrop Grumman’s $5,000 gift will be awarded to the Sigma Zeta competition’s winning math and science teams for the purchase of classroom resources and materials in their high schools.

“Today’s high school students are challenged daily to master increasingly complex scientific theories and mathematical equations,” said Mike King, director of Strategy and Business Development for Northrop Grumman Information Technology’s Commercial State and Local group.

“With the support of teachers and organizations such as Sigma Zeta, I am confident that students in this region will continue to master the skills needed to compete globally, whether in school or as part of the work force,” King said.

UVa-Wise and Northrop Grumman share a public-private partnership that promises to strengthen both the College’s technology curriculum and the company’s workforce recruitment efforts in Southwest Virginia. In September 2006, Northrop Grumman announced a $1 million commitment to enhance the UVa-Wise software engineering program, the only one of its kind in Virginia.

Now, one year later, UVa-Wise Chancellor David J. Prior says the partnership is allowing both Northrop Grumman and the College to play important roles in the development and future of southwest Virginia.

“Northrop Grumman is fast becoming a leading corporate citizen in southwest Virginia,” Prior said. “UVa-Wise is expanding its outreach to the region through our high-tech degree programs and our management of the Southwest Virginia Technology Development Center in Lebanon.”

With 32,000 employees in 16 locations, Northrop Grumman is the largest technology/manufacturing private employer in Virginia and is one of the largest providers of systems integration and information technology systems and services to government and commercial clients.

The only branch campus of the University of Virginia, UVa-Wise is ranked among the nation’s top ten public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. UVa-Wise offers Virginia's only undergraduate degree in software engineering, among 28 other degrees and professional programs in the liberal arts tradition of Thomas Jefferson.