SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) proudly announces the winner of the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award, industry veteran Dr. John Hennessy, president of Stanford University. Dr. Hennessy will be presented with this lifetime achievement award during the GSA Awards Dinner Celebration on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif.

Established in 1999, the first GSA “Exemplary Leadership Award” was given to Dr. Morris Chang, chairman and chief executive officer of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC). Today, the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award recognizes individuals for their exceptional contributions, exemplifying how their vision and global leadership have transformed and elevated the entire semiconductor industry.

“Our Board of Directors has selected Dr. Hennessy as the 2010 recipient of the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award for his extraordinary vision and contribution to the semiconductor industry. Dr. Hennessy has been a visionary in the area of computer architecture and RISC-based CPU cores,” said Jodi Shelton, president of GSA. “We feel honored to present this year’s award to someone who has dedicated a lifetime to research and development at one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S.”

Dr. Hennessy joined Stanford's faculty in 1977. After six years in the classroom, he earned the position of director of the Computer Systems Laboratory, where he served in this role from 1983 to 1993. In 1994, he served as the chair of computer science department and in 1996 he was named dean of the school of engineering. In 1999, he was appointed as provost, the university's chief academic and financial officer. In October 2000, he was inaugurated as Stanford University's 10th president — and the only president who possessed an engineering specialty and degrees.

“I am honored to be recognized for my life’s work and long-time passion,” said Dr. Hennessy. “It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to get to do what I love each and every day especially at an institution as progressive and innovative as Stanford University. My team and I have worked tirelessly to make a difference within the semiconductor industry. And I am humbled to be recognized by such an accomplished group.”

Dr. Hennessy is a recipient of the 2000 IEEE John von Neumann Medal, the 2000 ASEE Benjamin Garver Lamme Award, the 2001 ACM Eckert-Mauchly Award, the 2001 Seymour Cray Computer Engineering Award, a 2004 NEC C&C Prize for lifetime achievement in computer science and engineering, a 2005 Founders Award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and named the 2007 Fellow of the Computer History Museum. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

About the GSA Awards Dinner Celebration

The 2010 GSA Awards Dinner Celebration is made possible through the support of GSA charter member and title sponsor TSMC, VIP sponsor NASDAQ, networking reception sponsor GLOBALFOUNDRIES, as well as general sponsors, including Advantest, Amkor, ARM, Atheros, ASE Group, Barclays, Broadcom, Cadence Design Systems, CSR, Deutsche Bank, eSilicon, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, J.P. Morgan, KPMG, Magnachip, Marvell, Mohawk Valley Edge, Morgan Stanley, Needham, NetLogic Microsystems, NVIDIA, QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies, Samsung, SAP and UMC.

To make reservations to attend the Awards Dinner, please visit: www.gsaglobal.org/awardsdinner/2010/.

About GSA

The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) mission is to accelerate the growth and increase the return on invested capital of the global semiconductor industry by fostering a more effective fabless ecosystem through collaboration, integration and innovation. It addresses the challenges within the supply chain including IP, EDA/design, wafer manufacturing, test and packaging to enable industry-wide solutions. Providing a platform for meaningful global collaboration, the Alliance identifies and articulates market opportunities, encourages and supports entrepreneurship, and provides members with comprehensive and unique market intelligence. Members include companies throughout the supply chain representing 25 countries across the globe. www.gsaglobal.org