NEWS Release

NEW LABORATORY AT UNCG TO BE NAMED FOR
RF MICRO DEVICES CHAIRMAN WILLIAM J. PRATT

GREENSBORO — A laboratory in the new science building at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will be named for William J. "Bill" Pratt, chairman of the board and chief technical officer for RF Micro Devices.
 

William J. Pratt

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Teaching and Research Laboratories will be named for Pratt, in honor of his support for the sciences and the University.

Pratt, a member of the UNCG Board of Trustees and the UNCG Science Advisory Board, donated $1 million in 1999 to help equip the building, which was then in the planning stages.  The $46 million building moved to the construction stage following approval Nov. 7 of the  $3.1 billion Higher Education Bonds. Groundbreaking is set for spring, and completion is expected some time in 2003. Equipping the new facility will cost approximately $5.4 million, with $1 million to be provided by the state.

"With the new science building, UNCG will soon be positioned to play a key role in the local economy," said UNCG Chancellor Patricia Sullivan. "This gift will provide great support as we launch initiatives in the sciences to complement our existing research program."

A graduate of Villanova University, Pratt has 33 years in industry and 15 in engineering management. He developed and patented the HBT Power Amplifier Circuit, and, in 1991, co-founded RF Micro Devices, which was identified as the state's fastest-growing technology company by the Triad Business Journal, and as one of the state's top 50 technology companies by the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche. Pratt continues in both management and product development roles in the publicly-owned company.

With more than 1,100 local employees, RF Micro Devices is a leading provider of microchips and semiconductors for cellular telephones and other wireless communication devices. The company expects to open its new $200 million microchip plant in Greensboro in December.