THIBODAUX – A partnership between Nicholls State University and the Microsoft Corporation has resulted in new software, technical support and training materials for the College of Business Administration. The donations total more than $1.1 million in value, according to Microsoft.
Nicholls joined the Microsoft Dynamics Academic Alliance in April 2009, following a membership push initiated by Dr. Neset Hikmet, the Otto Candies Endowed Chair in Information Systems, and Dr. Ronnie Fanguy, associate professor of computer information systems. The Alliance, a worldwide partnership linking university educators and business professionals, seeks to enhance the educational experiences of college-level business students.
“This partnership, as a result of Dr. Hikmet’s and Dr. Fanguy’s persistence and hard work, will provide additional valuable resources to our faculty and students that otherwise would not have been possible,” Dr. Shawn Mauldin, dean of the College of Business Administration, said.
Hikmet was recently named to the Alliance advisory council – a group of scholars whose mission is to provide the Microsoft Corporation with input on how to strengthen the Alliance.
“I look forward to serving Nicholls in this capacity,” Hikmet said. “The university’s relationship with Microsoft will benefit our students in several ways. With this access to the full range of Microsoft resources, our goal is to focus our students on the software used by actual businesses – to strengthen their skill sets and increase their marketability. They will learn how to both use and install these resources, which is what industries expect of business graduates.”
For additional information about the Microsoft Dynamics Academic Alliance, go to https://www.microsoft.com/education/academic_alliance.mspx.
Hikmet, originally from Cyprus, grew up in Turkey. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey – and his Master of Business Administration and doctorate degrees from the University of Rhode Island. Hikmet’s position on the advisory council requires a three-year term of service.
