The center is the first of its kind in the U.S. and will work in conjunction with MSU’s recruiting, education and research, IBM and MSU officials said.

“I think there will be opportunities for students to work at internships as well as potential employment opportunities at this global development center,” MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said. “Part of the goal of the state, as well as part of the role the university can play, is to have Michigan be viewed as part of the 21st century economy. IT (information technology) operations play an important roles in that.”

The facility, called the IBM Global Delivery Center for Application Services, will provide support services to modernize IT systems at government agencies and corporations in Michigan, as well as other areas of the country in the future. Simon said IBM considered a number of states and universities to host the center but decided on MSU.

Randy Zane, communications manager for IBM Global Business Services, said Michigan was a logical choice.

“For Michigan, it fits within Governor Granholm’s plan to improve the economic base in the state via technology,” Zane said. “For IBM, it strengthens our long relationship with the state and enables us to help train the workers we will need in the future.”

Kurt Weiss, a spokesman from the Michigan Department of Information Technology, said the agreement will help the Lansing area develop a strong technological job base and help keep Michigan graduates in state.

“This type of IT work is a specialized type of work, and if we can help to train students in Michigan and keep them here in Michigan, that’s a good thing,” Weiss said.

In addition to retaining graduates, College of Engineering Dean Satish Udpa said the facility could attract outside talent in the future.

Simon said job opportunities won’t be limited to computer science and engineering majors. Instead, the entire university will be open to IBM.

To some students, the prospect of a job in Michigan is an appealing thought.

“I was looking out of state to get a job,” said Drew Space, a premedical sophomore going into computer science and engineering. “But it’s kind of cool that Michigan might have some decent IT jobs showing up.”