The University of Economics, Prague and Microsoft strengthen their cooperation

Prof. Hana Machková, Rector of the University of Economics, Prague (VŠE) and Biljana Weber, Country General Manager Czech Republic at Microsoft, signed an Education Alliance Agreement on 27 August 2014. The two women, in positions that are usually occupied by men, agreed that education and technology are increasingly connected areas. Therefore, it is advantageous for both parties to acquire strategic partners.

“At this point, the cooperation with Microsoft during the extension of the Office 365 solution to all parts of the university is essential for us,” pointed out Prof. Hana Machková. “So far, the faculties of VŠE have used different systems, which is not possible for the modern school. The Office 365 solution was also chosen because Microsoft is our partner and our cooperation with this company is very good at various levels,” added the rector.

Office 365, a solution for sharing and storing documents, and secure communication between the school and students, was used as a pilot solution in the Faculty of International Relations. Currently, Office 365 is also being extended to other faculties and departments of VŠE. Microsoft provides it free for students and for the staff as well.

In addition to providing access to programs and tools that support quality education with the latest trends in ICT, another component of the Education Alliance Agreement is also cooperation with Microsoft for lectures on specific topics (Human Resources, Management, Marketing, Public Relations, ICT Development, etc.) Microsoft works closely especially with the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics. The company will also help VŠE finance several student organizations (Honors Academia, Buddy System) and the center for disabled students.

“The University of Economics, Prague is one of the leading universities in the Czech Republic and we greatly appreciate the cooperation with the university. In the Education Alliance Agreement, we continue in ongoing projects and we also bring new and attractive forms of cooperation aimed at promoting education. Our priority is to enable students and teachers to work with the latest technologies in their everyday practice. But our cooperation is not limited to technical solutions; the goal is to introduce Microsoft as an attractive employer and leader of IT. For graduates, we offer among other programs Microsoft Academy College Hires (MACH), which is aimed at talented students, and we believe that the graduates of VŠE are such talented students,” added Biljana Weber.