In the recent national phase of the ‘2011 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office’, Tamkang University dominated the field to claim first place in the categories Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The competition was held at the National Changhua University of Education, Central Taiwan, on the 12th June. Out of 348 entrants (from 66 schools), Tamkang students clinched a total of seven placings.

Tamkang students to take first place included Tseng Ting-ya, Department of Banking and Finance (Microsoft Word); Lin Pei-en, Department of Statistics (Microsoft Excel); Liao Ru-hsuan, Department of Statistics (PowerPoint). The other placings include second in Word (Lin Hsin-yi), second in Excel (Cheng Yu-ting), third in Excel (Lin Yi-jie), and fourth in Excel (Chang Fu-chi). The seven successful entrants will represent Taiwan in the upcoming world championships in San Diego, America, where the world’s elite from over 60 countries will meet for a shot at the world title.

TKU’s outstanding result can be attributed to the ongoing efforts of the TKU Career Planning and Placement Section, which each year holds a number of Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and Techficiency Quotient Certification (TQC) courses. The courses are taught by students who earned placings in Microsoft Office competitions in previous years.

The Dean of the Office of Student Affairs, Dr. Ko Chih-en, noted that in TKU’s annual student survey, students emphasized the importance of accreditation courses and expressed their hope that TKU may provide more such courses in the future. In response, three years ago the TKU Career Planning and Placement Section introduced courses to train students on a range of professional and career-based skills. Tamkang’s above-par performance in the recent Microsoft Office competition was a direct result of its commitment to equip students with an array of professional skills.