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Southern Oregon University
Microsoft Office Certification Broadens Business Students' Skills
Southern Oregon University recently created the Certificates in Business Information Systems (CBIS) program, an information technology certificate specially designed to expand business students' technical knowledge and skills. To earn the specialized certificate, students must take business software, Internet, and programming courses and earn two Microsoft Office Specialist certifications. Business School Dean John Laughlin encourages students to earn the certificate to be more effective managers in today's high-tech business environment.
The demand for business graduates with information technology (IT) skills continues to increase as IT systems become an integral part of companies everywhere. To meet this demand, Southern Oregon University's (SOU) School of Business has developed curriculum that gives students the business and technical skills necessary to succeed in today's competitive business world.
"Companies today need business managers with enough technical skills to ask the right questions and make the right decisions to efficiently manage company resources-particularly IT resources," says SOU Business School Dean John Laughlin. "This need adds a new dynamic to business education that schools must address to remain relevant."
Meeting Demand for Qualified Employees
In fall 2001, the SOU School of Business implemented the Certificates in Business Information Systems (CBIS) program, an elective certificate program designed to provide business students with comprehensive IT skills.
Students earn the certificate by taking courses in business software, programming, the Internet, and information systems and by earning two Microsoft® Office Specialist certifications.
This certification is the only Microsoft-approved certification for Office programs and is exclusively administered by Certiport, Inc.
"We included Microsoft Office certification as a requirement for the CBIS program because business software skills are a must in any industry and for almost any employer," says Laughlin. "Business students who complete the program will find that they are much more competitive job applicants with a specialized certificate and two globally-recognized, industry certifications complementing their degree."
This year alone, 100 business students at SOU have earned Microsoft Office certification, most earning at least two certifications.
Students Want IT Skills
Feedback from students prompted Assistant Professor Donna Lane to develop a program that would allow students to provide employers with a meaningful measurement of their IT skills. She began by creating curriculum for advanced computer courses in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint®, Excel, and Access and by establishing SOU as an iQcenter, enabling students to earn Microsoft Office certification at the end of these courses.
Next, Lane and other faculty members decided to further expand students' technical skills in the areas of programming and the Internet by creating the CBIS program.
"With the CBIS program and Microsoft Office certification, we meet students' interests in developing practical IT skills and their need to validate these skills with employers," says Lane. "Students can learn and certify skills without extending their time at the university or having to return after graduation, once they realize these skills are needed to move ahead."
Rachel Tacto, a freshman majoring in marketing, felt it was important to attend a university that offered Microsoft Office courses.
"I wanted to earn Microsoft Office certification to get more out of the programs and to have something that would enhance my résumé," says Tacto "Earning certification in Microsoft PowerPoint® and Word made me feel like I accomplished a lot in just one course."
Though the CBIS program and Microsoft Office certification are electives, the courses are filled to capacity with long waiting lists. "Keeping up with the demand for these classes is our biggest challenge," Lane says.
Junior Etienne Hardre has completed several of the courses required for the CBIS program and has earned two Microsoft Office certifications. His reason for pursuing the additional credentials is simple.
"Today you have to know computers and how to use computers in business," he explains. "Earning the CBIS certificate and Microsoft certifications allows me to offer employers solid proof of my computer skills-something most business graduates don't have."
'The Hiring Difference'
"Businesses today are looking for candidates with a broad range of abilities-professionalism, good writing skills, business knowledge, technical savvy-and a combination of these abilities makes the hiring difference," says Laughlin.
In fact, several local employers, including Ashland Accounting, LLP, request business students with certified Microsoft Office skills from SOU.
"As hiring manager for the firm, I look for applicants with strong computer skills who will be a resource to the company," says Wendy Gorman, senior accountant of Ashland Accounting, LLP. "If an applicant is Microsoft Office certified, it indicates to me that this person will help us save time and improve accuracy-two things that are critical to us and our clients."
Gorman's selection of Microsoft Office-certified business student Etienne Hardre as an intern for the firm has further strengthened her opinion of certified employees. Hardre uses his verified skills to help the firm handle a high volume of clients and meet tight deadlines and has even streamlined the firm's data processing by designing a customized Microsoft Access database.
Freedom to 'Get the Job Done'
Senior Kathy Caulfield is a business management major who, thanks to her certified Microsoft Excel skills, landed an internship with local investment firm Cascade Investment Council. The internship required strong Excel skills to organize and interpret data in a meaningful way for the firm.
"The skills I gained through Microsoft Office certification allow me to get the job done," she says. "I don't have to wait for another department to provide the information I need; I know how to use the more sophisticated features of Excel, such as charts, pivot tables, and importing and exporting data, to find and utilize information for myself."
Greater autonomy is a benefit of certification that Freshman Rachel Tacto also experiences.
"I no longer panic and run to find someone every time I encounter a problem while using Office programs," she says. "Now, I can recognize and fix problems on my own."
Megan Fournier, a junior at SOU majoring in marketing, notes similar benefits.
"I'm a more productive student thanks to the skills I learned while earning Microsoft Office certification in Word and PowerPoint," she says. "I know the shortcuts and program features that help me finish my homework faster and better."
The confidence and freedom that comes from having an understanding of IT is what the CBIS program and Microsoft Office certification are all about, says Laughlin.
"IT is the natural progression for businesses today, and our innovative program provides students with the variety of skills and credentials necessary to work confidently in this new environment."
—Posted 09/24/02
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