Dec. 1, 2022
Media advisory: Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge Finals at UArizona to be streamed on YouTube and broadcast on ESPNU
- What: The University of Arizona is hosting the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge.
- When: Saturday, Dec. 3, 2:45 p.m.
- Where: Esports Arena, Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd., Room 138
TUCSON, Ariz. – More than 50 students from around the world, including eight from the University of Arizona, will compete in the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge finals on Saturday at the university's Esports Arena. The event will be streamed live and recorded for broadcast later this month on ESPNU.
The Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge is a competition that develops and tests students' problem-solving, critical thinking and Excel skills.
The competition began with more than 2,800 registered students from 93 countries and 596 universities and colleges. The finals will feature the top-four teams and top-eight individuals competing in 30-minute Excel Esports competitions to determine team and individual champions.
The challenge is implemented through a partnership between the Department of Finance in the university's Eller College of Management and the Financial Modeling World Cup. David Brown, Brian and Clara Franke Endowed Chair in Finance at Eller, said the goal is to teach Excel and personal finance concepts to students of all levels in a way that is engaging and fun.
"Part of the reason I have focused on Excel so much is that I see how much benefit there can be to individuals getting better at shortcuts and learning formulas they can use," Brown said. "Instead of thinking about building a sophisticated finance model, let's think about games that we can play. Can you solve Battleship in Excel? Can you solve tic-tac-toe?"
The championship event is free and open to the public. The finals will be broadcast live on the Financial Modeling World Cup YouTube channel beginning at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. A selection of the day's events will be produced into a one-hour special to be aired on ESPNU on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. local time.
Media contacts:
David Brown
Eller College of Management
520-621-0746
dcbrown@arizona.edu
Andy Ober
University Communications
520-621-9017
andyober@arizona.edu
The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top 50 public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2020 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $761 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 66 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage.