"That resulted in a lot more knowledge about what the potential for C# is for that kind of teaching," DiCiccio said. "So in a way, the preparation for the creation of the sponsorship resulted in us being more informed and having a better idea of what Microsoft's plans are for C# and how we could make good use of it."

Ryan O'Connor, vice-president of education with the UW Federation of Students, said he's most concerned about the decision-making process that led to the changes in curriculum. "I'm still unclear as to how that process came about, if all the proper channels were followed."

Besides funding the C# course, Microsoft is also giving the school money for a research team to work on developing a mathematical recognition engine for the Tablet PC.

The financing to UW is part of a $10 million, five-year fund Microsoft is doling out to universities for research and development, and to stimulate technology innovation. Other recipients have not yet been announced.

Clegg said despite the backlash from the UW announcement, Microsoft doesn't plan to do anything differently when it comes to forthcoming announcements. "I don't see the form and the substance of the program changing," he said.