Microsoft Saudi Arabia reaches out to university students at King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals

Microsoft Saudi Arabia reaches out to university students at King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals

As part of Microsoft’s initiative for education and development, the company recently held an IT awareness session at the King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals. The session was prepared and presented by Ahmad Alafaliq, the desktop product manager at Microsoft in Saudi Arabia who shared with students how Windows Vista and Office 2007 can help them with their studies.

The university visit is part of Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the education community. By directly speaking and interacting with the students Microsoft was able to share with them how the new software can help them realize their full potential. “Most companies don’t take the time to come and speak to students and show them how their products can be beneficial,” said Yasser Al-Sulami, a freshman with a chemical engineering major at the university. “Microsoft really showed that it cares about us students as people and not just as consumers. I am looking forward to any future events or products they may have.”

Dr Kanaan Faisal, chairman of the Information & Computer Science department at KFUPM said: “We’re keen to offer all our students the best possible education, and equip them with the right tools to aid their study. Advances in Information Technology are paving the way for future development in education and are helping our students realize their potential.

“The session, which took place at the Prince Naif Auditorium, attracted over 1000 students, staff and faculty members from different departments at the university. The attendees all had one common goal, to find out how Windows Vista and Office 2007 can improve their learning experience and help them achieve results in a simple and fast way.

“We were expecting 400 students to attend,” said Alafaliq, “and were amazed when we saw over 1000 students and faculty members at the awareness session. It shows that there is a genuine interest from the Saudi youth to adopt technology to help them on their educational journey.”

A commitment to education and innovation has always been part of Microsoft’s mission. The session – which was conducted in an informal, relaxing and highly interactive setting – included a tailored demonstration of Windows Vista and Office 2007, and showed students how software can help them in both their studies and their personal life.

“I didn’t realize I could do so much with Vista and Office,” said Salman Shaudhry, a senior with a systems engineering major. “The presentation was very helpful; it truly opened my eyes to new possibilities.”

“Today, with the advances in new technology, students have a much richer and more rewarding learning experience. Windows Vista and Office 2007 are great tools which students can take advantage of during their education to boost their productivity, increase their creativity, and improve their collaboration and connectivity with the rest of the world,” said Alafaliq, “It was a great opportunity for us to hear directly from the students, and for them to see how Windows Vista and Office can help them with their studies. We’re looking forward to running similar workshops with other educational institutions in Saudi Arabia.”

Information from: www.menafn.com

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