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Texas Christian University
Business Students Stay Ahead of the Curve with Microsoft Office Certification
Texas Christian University views Microsoft Office skills as essential for today's business professional. For this reason, Texas Christian University's M.J. Neeley School of Business made Microsoft Office Specialist certification a requirement for all business majors and minors. Associate Dean Williams credits the certification for strengthening student learning, student credentials, and the University.
With a horned frog as its mascot and a history that dates back to the glory days of the "Old West," Texas Christian University (TCU) may initially seem a bit provincial. However, a closer look reveals that TCU is now a cutting-edge private university that boasts a student body of 7,600 students from 48 states and more than 70 countries.
Fort Worth, Texas-TCU's home-is also home to many major U.S. corporations, many of which look to TCU for employees, including Radio Shack, Bell Helicopter-Textron, American Airlines, Lockheed Martin, Bank One, Arthur Andersen, Dell, Intel, and Electronic Data Systems, just to name a few.
With so many impressive local business opportunities, it's no wonder that TCU's M.J. Neeley School of Business is in high demand. Almost 25 percent of TCU students are enrolled at the Neeley School, where they seek to gain the knowledge and skills required to succeed in today's rapidly-changing business world.
Embracing the New Business Reality
Chuck Williams, associate dean of undergraduate studies at TCU's Neeley School of Business, is convinced that "the successful business professional of the 21st Century must be a life long learner in respect to technology." He says, "This is the new reality of the business world, and the new business professional needs to not only accept it, but also embrace it."
For this reason, Williams implemented Microsoft® Office Specialist certification as a pre-requisite for all incoming business majors and a graduation requirement for all business minors. As of fall 2001, TCU business students must earn certification for Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint®.
"Microsoft Office has become a standard business tool that is used universally," asserts Williams. "It can be a very powerful tool-even if you just know the basics."
In requiring Microsoft Office certification, Williams aims to ensure that every student is a proficient user of Office programs.
"Certification satisfies the needs of students, potential employers, and the University, to measure Microsoft Office proficiency," he says. "And by earning certification, students strengthen their learning experience, their credentials, and the University."
Strengthening Learning
The impetus for strengthening students' technical skills first came from upper-level business professors, who found that many students lacked the skills to utilize business software to complete assignments.
For example, says Williams, who is also a business management professor, students may have great presentation skills, but they can't enhance a presentation with PowerPoint slides, or track cash flow using an Excel spreadsheet, or produce professional-looking documents with Word.
He says, "The Microsoft Office certification pre-requisite allows us to safely assume that students entering upper-level business courses have the skills to use technology to better understand business concepts. Furthermore, certification demystifies technology. Students learn that, in reality, these programs are intuitive and that with a little effort they can master them."
Kyle Flodder, a junior at the Neeley School, agrees. He completed the certification requirement and now instructs a weekly Microsoft Office course to help fellow business students prepare for certification.
"Surprisingly, many students are very nervous about using computers and the Office programs-as if somehow they could blow up the computer," he says. "In helping other students prepare for certification, I've seen their confidence increase and their anxieties about using these programs diminish."
In addition to these benefits, standardization of skills also simplifies the teaching process. As Williams explains, "Our business students were entering with a range of skills-everything from novice to expert-making it very difficult to teach. Using Microsoft Office certification as our standard removes that variability, allowing professors and students to focus on the business concepts being taught."
Strengthening Student Credentials
Along with a bachelor's degree upon graduation, Neeley School students will also have an industry-standard certification that verifies their Microsoft Office expertise. This additional credential gives TCU business graduates a definitive edge as entry-level jobseekers.
As Bill Stowe, associate director of TCU career services, explains, "Employers are looking for students who go above and beyond to distinguish themselves from the crowd. We encourage students to participate in activities, such as Microsoft Office certification, internships, and student leadership positions, that will give them valuable experience and strengthen their student profiles."
Kim See, coordinator of the Neeley student resource center, is also involved in undergraduate academic advisement and career services. In addition to encouraging students to network with professionals and professors, she encourages students to become certified.
"Microsoft Office certification signals to recruiters that TCU business graduates won't spend the first few months on the job trying to learn tools," she says. "Instead, they'll be getting the job done and saving the company valuable time, resources, and money."
The marketability of Microsoft Office certification is not limited just to students seeking employment directly after graduation. TCU business students pursuing graduate programs also benefit from increased competitiveness.
"I plan to go on to a graduate business program right after graduation," says Flodder. "Because I have Microsoft Office skills and I've been using them throughout my undergraduate career to enhance my work, I know I'll be a more competitive graduate applicant. And it's nice to know that because this certification is from Microsoft, it's recognized everywhere."
Strengthening the University
Strengthening students' business software skills directly affects the ability of the M.J. Neeley School of Business to be a consensus top 25-50 U.S. college.
"Admitting students with stronger technical skills means professors can demand more of students in the work they produce and in the skills they use in the classroom," says Williams.
Consequently, students become more knowledgeable, skilled, and competitive-further increasing the rank and prestige of the M.J. Neeley School of Business.
"As our Microsoft Office-certified business students enter the workforce," remarks Williams, "businesses are guaranteed that they come equipped with a solid business foundation as well as the skills to use their business software. As a result, we expect to attract more recruiters in the future."
Stronger curriculum, students, and business school-not too bad for some horned frogs from the "Old West."
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