Microsoft grants funds to Canadian universities - and the catch is...

NEWS By Margaret Kane Microsoft has established a $10m fund to support technology research and development at Canadian universities. But the first grant awarded from the fund has already caused an uproar, after one of the recipients agreed to require a class in a Microsoft programming language as part of the deal. The Microsoft Canada Academic Innovation Alliance was formally launched Wednesday, with a $2.3m grant to University of Waterloo. The grant will fund, among other projects, a research programme developing a mathematical recognition engine for the Tablet PC, for which Microsoft has developed operating system. The grant includes access to other Microsoft technology, such as Microsoft's .Net technology. But it's a new class that has caused the stir. As part of the deal, the university will offer a programming course in Microsoft's new C# language. The class will be available online for approximately 1,500 high school students applying to the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the university, a first for the university. The class will also be mandatory for the 300 students per year who are accepted. The new class would replace an existing course which taught C++ to new students. Representatives neither for Microsoft nor the University could be reached for comment. C# is a Java-esque language that Microsoft has developed as part of its web services strategy. Microsoft, like other companies, competes for programmer 'mindshare'. By convincing universities to teach classes on their technologies, companies hope to inspire loyalty to their products. Students and faculty posted sharp criticism of the new course at an online student news site at the university. (See: http://uwstudent.org/msstory.html ) The deal shows "that the University admin will do just about anything for money", one alumni posted to the news site. "They will change the curriculum, the will place whatever pressure is necessary on students and they will sacrifice the University's role as an institution of knowledge." The deal also met with criticism from the University's Federation of Students, whose vice president of education said it "sets a dangerous precedent". "This illustrates that when external organisations offer the university money, they can effectively purchase their way into the curriculum," Ryan O'Connor said in a release. Margaret Kane writes for CNET News.com.