With this gesture, Mr. Barsoum wished to signal his continuing regard for his alma mater and his recognition of the quality of the university education he received -- training that has played a predominant role in his professional success on the international stage.

"I am delighted to be able to assist Polytechnique in its quest for excellence in training tomorrow's engineers," Mr. Barsoum said. "Providing financial support for certain projects or students is my way of saying thanks."

Mr. Barsoum has particularly fond memories of Jacques Laurence, Polytechnique's former director who had an exceptional rapport with students and was always willing to help them complete their studies successfully.

A portion of the donation will be used to create the Fonds de bourses Jacques Laurence awards. Another portion will go toward implementing and maintaining a training laboratory to be used by the Polytechnique community at large. This laboratory will be located on the seventh floor of the new Lassonde buildings.

Mr. Barsoum's ongoing allegiance to Polytechnique has manifested itself throughout his career. He played a pivotal role in helping develop industry partnerships with the school, and instigated a special relationship between Polytechnique and IBM.

Born in Egypt, Mr. Barsoum's rise through the ranks of IBM was meteoric. He occupied different managerial positions in Canada and the United States before being successively appointed President and CEO of IBM Canada and IBM United Kingdom. Following this, he assumed a leading role with IBM Europe, Middle East and Africa as head of business relations with the largest firms in 11 economic sectors. Upon returning to New York City, Mr. Barsoum was appointed head of IBM's Global Communications Sector and a member of the firm's Worldwide Management Council. His career is a stellar example of the benefits of excellent training with an international outlook for industry leaders in the high-technology sector. For his remarkable professional contribution to the field of computing and information technologies, Mr. Barsoum was awarded an honorary doctorate from École Polytechnique in 2004.