Gateway snags the University of Arizona

Gateway, the struggling PC maker trying to mount a comeback, got a ringing endorsement from the University of Arizona, which signed a five-year $45 million deal with the Irvine, Calif.-based company. Under the deal, Gateway becomes the lead technology provider to the campus. University staff, faculty and students will also receive discounts on desktops, laptops and services like training.

When the bottom fell out of the PC market in the fall of 2000, Gateway was the first victim. Sales plummeted and prompted management changes. The company subsequently pursued consumer electronics, with uneven success. In 2004, it merged with Emachines.