For Immediate Release

Date: March 27, 2006

Earns Microsoft Dynamics award for excellence in education

BLOOMSBURG—Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s College of Business recently received the 2006 Microsoft Pinnacle Award for outstanding achievements in business education. Represented by John Grandzol, associate professor of management, BU was recognized for its Pinnacle Award for Education at Convergence 2006, the annual Microsoft customer conference in Dallas, Texas.

The Pinnacle Awards, established in 1997, are presented yearly and recognize accomplishments by customers of Microsoft Dynamics, a line of integrated business-management software. Microsoft Dynamics customers, partners and team members contributed Pinnacle Award nominations. The 2006 Pinnacle Awards were presented in nine categories: innovation, customer service, evangelism, teamwork, education, fast track, Microsoft technologies, global implementation and overall excellence.

BU’s College of Business was honored for enhancing students’ learning experiences and promoting innovative applications of technology by integrating Microsoft Dynamics products into its business curricula. Bloomsburg University, with about 1,500 students enrolled in College of Business degree programs, is a member of the Microsoft Dynamics Academic Alliance team and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.

The College of Business, in conjunction with its Business Advisory Board and faculty, began exploring an enterprise approach to its curricula in 2003. The efforts came together this semester with a new course, Supply Chain Management, taught by Grandzol; Albert Fundaburk, assistant professor of business information systems; William Neese, associate professor of marketing; and Charles Russo, associate professor of accounting.

The course exposes students to the latest business process management approaches fully integrated with the latest enterprise solution software. BU plans to develop an interdisciplinary concentration in supply chain management over the next three years, supported by financial, customer relationship and supply chain management software solutions from Microsoft Dynamics.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students and offers 65 bachelor’s, 18 master’s and one doctoral degree.

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