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Recently the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering added up their software donations and realized they had a heavy contributor on their hands, UGS Corp. The college added up the total free software donated, and the contribution reached $289 million. So of course the school immediately scheduled some events and dedications to honor the companies generosity. UGS is not the first company to provide their software free or at a discount to college's and universities. Conventional wisdom tells us that if we teach the students how to use the software and do it for free or on the cheap, then those same students will become the dedicated corporate/business users and purchasers of the future. Many companies offer educational discounts to appease the CV. Some like UGS even donate it for free. So is the conventional wisdom on target? Do companies from UGS to Microsoft to Apple and Mindjet really get the bang for the buck out of their contribution or investment? Post your feedback or experiences and we'll look more closely at this topic over the next week. AP Wire 04/19/2006 Gifts to school add up: $289 million worth