J.D. Edwards program plans executive, student interactive event Oct. 20

"Leaders of the Pack: Executive Vision" is the theme for an interactive program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln between UNL students and the executive board and corporate partners of the J.D. Edwards Honors Program in Computer Science and Management. Keynote for the Oct. 20 event is a speech by Microsoft executive Robbie Bach, 10:30 a.m. at the Nebraska Union Auditorium.

The Oct. 20 Executive Vision events bring world-renowned executives who are advisers to the J.D. Edwards Honors Program to campus to meet with and speak to the program's students. Attendees are Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft Corp.; Ed Zander, chief executive officer at Motorola; Michael Marks, partner at KKR; Larry Probst, CEO of Electronic Arts; and Warren Jenson, Chief Financial Officer of Electronic Arts.

At the 10:30 a.m. keynote at the Nebraska Union, the public and other students are invited to hear from Bach in an address, "Connected Entertainment," about product development for Xbox 360 and the new MP3 player under development by Microsoft, the Zune. A drawing will be held at that lecture for a new Zune, which is due on the market in November.

The prestigious J.D. Edwards Honors Program at UNL provides an education in technology and management while developing professional skills in leadership, communications and collaboration. Interaction between students and business and information technology mentors is a hallmark of the J.D. Edwards program. Additional activities for the board and students on Oct. 20 will include a panel on the ecosystem of the video game industry, a "round robin" session, reception and guest dinner. On Saturday, Oct. 21, students, board members and corporate guests will play basketball before the NU-Texas football match-up.

Bach leads a global division that is charged with bringing new focus to Microsoft's digital entertainment efforts in music, TV and video; interactive entertainment, which includes Xbox and games for Windows; consumer productivity experiences, which includes peripherals, the Macintosh unit and consumer productivity applications; and the mobile and embedded unit, which develops and markets Windows Mobile-based devices. In addition to these businesses, Bach's responsibilities include leading innovation on the Xbox platform, defining a vision and product road map in digital entertainment, owning retail relationships for Microsoft, selling all Microsoft products to the media and entertainment and service provider businesses, and owning media and entertainment partner management for the company. In his 16 years at Microsoft, Bach has been responsible for everything from small-business marketing and original equipment manufacturers' programs to major product launches and marketing for Microsoft's family of productivity applications.

Zander joined Motorola in January 2004 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Motorola, Zander was a managing director of Silver Lake Partners, a leading private equity fund focused on investments in technology industries. Earlier, Zander was President and Chief Operating Officer of Sun Microsystems Inc., a leading provider of hardware, software and services for networks.

Marks recently joined KKR as a partner, after previously serving as Chief Executive Officer of Flextronics since January 1994 and as Chairman of the Board from July 1993 to January 2003. Under his leadership, Flextronics showed steady growth from $93 million in fiscal year 1993 to $14.5 billion in 2004. Prior to joining Flextronics, Marks was president and CEO of Metcal Inc., a precision heating instrument company. In 1993, Marks developed a turnaround plan that propelled the Company from 22nd in the industry to its current status as the industry leader in revenue, profits and market capitalization, making it one of Forbes Magazine's top 500 Multinational Companies. This performance earned him the title of Electronic Business Magazine's CEO of the Year in 2003.

Electronic Arts, founded in 1982 and based in Redwood City, Calif., has been a pioneer in developing, marketing, publishing and distributing computer and video games, including best-sellers, "Need for Speed," "Medal of Honor" and the popular "Sims" series. EA recently obtained licenses to ESPN and with the Collegiate Licensing Company to hold all rights to develop games based on ESPN brand and collegiate football content. As CEO, Probst is responsible for all aspects of the corporation, with 7,200 employees worldwide and earning $236 million in net income (2006). Probst, and Jenson as CFO, will visit with J.D. Edwards students about growing EA with the video game and entertainment markets, the growing popularity of Internet gaming, and globalization.

Contact: Lori McClurg, operations director, J.D. Edwards Honors Program, (402) 472-6000