University of Moratuwa Equipped with World Class Microsoft Technology

Microsoft Sri Lanka signed an MOU with the University of Moratuwa, which will make the University a member of the MSDN Academic Alliance; an annual program created by Microsoft for accredited academic institutions, whose curricula include information technology.

Membership provides universities a complete, cost-effective solution to keep students, labs and faculty abreast of cutting edge technology.

Through this alliance with Microsoft, the University's Faculty of Information Technology and the Department of Computer Science & Engineering have equipped their computer labs with the latest licensed software.

They will also gain access to the complete suite of Microsoft developer tools, operating systems, server software, documentation and technical references offered by Microsoft Corp.

Apart from these facilities, membership in the MSDN Academic Alliance will allow member faculties in the university to install software on all lab machines for instructional and research purposes.

In addition to having access to these tools within the university, students in active departments can also download software to their personal computers for use in their coursework and personal projects, at no additional cost.

All faculty within member departments will gain access to a comprehensive web site which provides up-to-the-minute resources such as program registration and news, projects, tutorials, academically focused articles, an active on-line community and private newsgroups where instructors can collaborate.

The Faculty of IT and the Department of Computer Science & Engineering of The University of Moratuwa has doubled its in-take of students for the current academic year, to meet the ever increasing demand for IT education in Sri Lanka.

To this end, the university has put in place a firm strategy to further improve the quality of education provided to students.

The signing of the MOU with Microsoft is part of this strategy, as it would provide students and faculty access to the latest technology, facilitate knowledge sharing amongst student communities and lecturers from all parts of the world.

On signing the MOU with Microsoft, the university's Vice Chancellor Prof. Dayantha Wijesekera said "We are committed to continuous improvement of our facilities and the quality of the education we provide to students in Sri Lanka.

Singing this MOU to obtain the MSDN Academic Alliance was imperative to achieve this objective. I congratulate the team who worked to make this initiative a success, for keeping sight of the ultimate vision of the Moratuwa university."

The Dean of the IT Faculty, Dr Ajith Madurapperuma added "we would like to give our students the opportunity to experience the leading edge of technology and ensure that they are equipped with the skills sought by tomorrows IT industry.

We are also eager to establish partnerships with the industry, to ensure this objective is met. By working together with Microsoft through the MSDN Academic Alliance, these dual needs will be met for us."

"As a national university in Sri Lanka, we are always looking for ways to improve the quality of education we impart to our students. This alliance with Microsoft will be a right step towards achieving this goal" said the Dr Sanath Jayasena, Head of the Computer Science & Engineering Department.

Speaking for Microsoft, Country Manager, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne emphasizes "Universities play a pivotal role in developing the current and future skill base needed by the country.

Microsoft has taken significant strides in this effort and has developed special programs to support academia in Sri Lanka and around the world. One such initiative is the MSDN Academic Alliance which aims to foster capacity building.

As an MSDN Academic Alliance member, the Faculty of IT and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Moratuwa University, will have access not only to the latest Microsoft technologies, but also to a host of other facilities such as the Microsoft eLearning Library, a private newsgroup to foster faculty collaboration and the ability for students to install software required for coursework and projects.

This alliance supplements the strategy put in place by the university to provide education of the highest standard to students in Sri Lanka".