Students Receive Master’s Hoods

             The School of Business and Department of Accounting celebrated the graduation of 37 Master of Accountancy students with a Hooding Ceremony on the morning of May 5, 2012.  Student Matt Venneman gave brief remarks on behalf of his peers.  In honor of the 2012 graduates and the 30^th anniversary of the Master of Accountancy program, the first graduate of the program, Randy Hultz, offered words of encouragement to the graduating students and their guests. 

As Professor Keith Harrison, Accounting Department Chair, read the students’ names, Professors Scott Fouch and Kristen Irwin placed the hoods on the students. The students participated in the University’s commencement ceremonies at 2:00 p.m. that same day.  Demonstrating their commitment to excellence, most of the students resumed studies on the Monday following commencement to prepare for the CPA examination.

“Accounting Students Meet the Firms”

The School of Business and Department of Accounting held its sixth annual “Meet the Firms” event on Friday, April 20.  This mini career fair focuses on career paths with public accounting firms. Sophomore, junior and senior accounting students had the opportunity to meet and network with representatives from seven public accounting firms.  The firms were BKD, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PWC, RubinBrown, and Williams-Keepers.

Derek Atwood qualified at the MIAA Championships for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track Field Championships!

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Becka McHenry was voted to 2012 MIAA All-Conference Women’s Team!

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Truman’s Becka McHenry was selected as the MIAA Women’s Basketball Player of the week. Read the full story here.

Jennifer Kalla - MSCPA Student of the Month

The Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) selected Jennifer Kalla as the Student of the Month. Jen’s professors at Truman State University nominated her for this award. Dr. Debra Kerby said, “Jen is an outstanding student who exhibits quiet, but strong leadership. She has served in multiple officer and project leadership positions in both BAP and SIFE. Jen effectively assisted with coordinating a VITA program that served more than 300 clients in 2011.” Aside from this honor, Jen has received numerous other awards this past year including “Who’s Who Among American Universities and Colleges” and Truman’s “Senior Leadership Award.” Jen has accepted an offer to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ tax department in their St. Louis office.

Jen has been very active with Beta Alpha Psi and SIFE. For Beta Alpha Psi, Jen has served as the SIFE liaison, Vice President, and currently leads as the organization’s President. For SIFE, Jen has held multiple positions such as Fundraising Coordinator, Project Leader, Business Executive Leader, and Treasurer.

We all here at Truman congratulate Jennifer on this significant accomplishment!

The National Association of State Board of Accountancy has released the percentage passing rates for the Uniform Certified Public Accountants Examination for 2010.  Once again, Truman State University graduates performed exceptionally well on the examination.  First-time candidates from Truman successfully completed 73.6% of the sections taken with an average score of 80.7%.  Truman’s passing percentage was the second highest rate of all colleges and universities in the states of Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska and the average score was the highest percentage in the three states.  The national average passing percentage for 2010 was 52.9%.

Truman State University is one of only 176 universities in the world accredited in both business and accounting by AACSB International –The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.  AACSB International is the foremost world-wide accrediting agency for schools and programs of business.

Ricardo (Ricky) Vigil, CPA, is a manager at RubinBrown, LLP.  He graduated from Truman State University with a BS in Accounting in 2003 and with his Master of Accountancy degree in 2004. Since graduation, he has been a very busy and successful businessman.

In July 2011, the St. Louis Business Journal honored Ricky by selecting him as one of their 30 under 30 in their annual publication of the same name.

Over the past eight years at RubinBrown, Vigil has gained increasing responsibility serving clients in the manufacturing and distribution sectors.  In 2009, his efforts were recognized with a promotion to manager.

Today, Vigil helps companies that have international operations and is skilled in the implementation of lean manufacturing and accounting.  His Spanish fluency has allowed him to also assist in international projects in Spain and Mexico.  In addition, he also handles business performance analysis, risk-based audit planning, and tax preparation.

As a result of his quality work and business guidance to his clients, Vigil was nominated and honored as one of the 2010 Top St. Louis Accountants by Small Business Monthly.

In June 2011, Small Business Monthly featured Vigil as one of the Top 100 St. Louisans to Know to Succeed in Business.  This award was presented by a group of key business executives who selected individuals based on their contributions to area businesses and to the overall business community.

When he’s not winning awards, Vigil serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Saint Louis. He is also a Member of the Young Professionals Network Steering Committee for the Regional Business Council. In addition, Vigil is a member of the Young Executives Board for Nurses for Newborns and is a member of the Missouri Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs.

A group of Truman accounting students have joined together to leave their mark on the University by creating the Class of 2011 Accounting Scholarship.

Beginning with the Fall 2013 semester, one masters of accountancy student, selected by department faculty, will receive $1,000 for the academic year.

The idea for a class accounting scholarship originated in April with Puskar Dahal, a master of accountancy student, who was inspired by the help he received as an undergraduate.

“I received the Delta Sigma Pi/Tina Schmidt scholarship,” Dahal said. “Not only was I happy for getting the money, but I felt like my hard work was recognized. I was told that what I was doing was right and I should continue doing it.”

Within 24 hours, 14 fellow students pledged to support the scholarship and as of July, 25 students have agreed to donate $200 each to launch the Class of 2011 Accounting Scholarship. Fundraising efforts will continue until the endowed scholarship fund is able to generate $1,000 per year from investment income. An annual scholarship will be awarded as the endowed fund is building.

To be eligible for the award, students must have a grade point average of at least 3.25, have been involved in extracurricular activities with at least one business organization as an undergraduate and have displayed leadership in at least one campus organization. Preference will be given to students who are not already receiving significant academic scholarships. Graduate teaching and research assistants are not eligible.

2011 Master of Accountancy Graduates

To date, the graduates who have committed to funding the Class of 2011 Accounting Scholarship, include:
Benjamin Anderson; Elise Bailey; Laura Carel; Andrea Cook; Puskar Dahal; Emily Donath; Meghan Falter; Nina Feng; Philip Gilmor; Pat Goodwin; Eric Hansen; Kim Heitzman; Alex Koenen; Luke Laughlin; Tommy Lee; Thomas McIntyre; Erin Montoia; Dibyesh Raj Neupane; Megan O’Connor; Stephanie Otto; Helen Pham; Kelsey Provance; Katie Sassenrath; Jessica Schmittigens and Qianyun (Sally) Yang

Story by: Travis Miles in the Public Relations Office

Colleen Conrad ('85) Named COO of NASBA

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), an association dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of the country’s 55 state boards of accountancy, has today named Colleen K. Conrad, CPA, as its incoming Chief Operating Officer (COO). She will join NASBA on October 31, 2011, as COO designate and accede to the Executive Vice President and COO role on January 1, 2012. Conrad, a noted lecturer and author of numerous articles in tax and real estate publications, will succeed Ken L. Bishop, who will become President and CEO of NASBA, effective January 1, 2012, following the retirement of current President and CEO, David A. Costello, CPA.

Conrad served on the Missouri Board of Accountancy from 1997 through 2007, with two terms as chair. Conrad’s contributions to NASBA date back to 1997 as she has served as a committee member and a featured speaker during NASBA forums. Her committee involvement includes serving as a member of the Strategic Initiatives Committee, Bylaws Committee, Regulatory Response Committee and the Education Committee where she was named to the 150-Hour Task Force.

A long-time member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Conrad currently serves as a member of the AICPA Council. In addition, she was a member of the AICPA Board of Examiners for 10 years, serving one term as its chair, and was also a member of the Joint AICPA/NASBA International Examination Task Force.

Conrad, a Kansas native, is a member of the Missouri Society of CPAs and past president and current member of the St. Louis Society of Women CPAs. Among her numerous honors, she was named as an AICPA/Missouri CPA Woman-to-Watch, Experienced Leader, in 2008.

Conrad received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Truman State University in 1985, becoming a licensed CPA in 1987. She is an active member of the Truman State University Alumni Association and also serves as chair and board member of the University’s Accounting Alumni Board.

About NASBA

Celebrating 103 years of service, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) serves as a forum for the nation’s state boards of accountancy, which administer the Uniform CPA Examination, license over 650,000 certified public accountants and regulate the practice of public accountancy in the United States. NASBA’s mission is to enhance the effectiveness of state boards of accountancy in meeting their regulatory responsibilities. The Association promotes the exchange of information among the accountancy boards, serving the needs of the 55 U.S. jurisdictions. To learn more about NASBA, visit www.nasba.org.     ~Press release provided by Cassandra Gray, NASBA

Laura Hill - MSCPA Student of the Month

The Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) selected Laura Hill as the Student of the Month. Laura’s  professors at Truman State University nominated her for this award. Dr. Debra Kerby said, “In addition to being an accomplished student, she has proven to be an excellent student leader and role model for younger students. Laura has held a number of key leadership positions in student organizations. She is an articulate advocate for both the accounting program and School of Business at Truman. Laura is frequently asked to meet with business executives and scholars when they visit the Truman campus. She will enter the Master of Accountancy program at Truman next fall, during which time Laura will serve as a Graduate Teaching Research Assistant.” She has received the numerous scholarships: President’s Combined Ability Scholarship, President’s Honorary Scholarship, and President’s Leadership Scholarship (all based on GPA, ACT score, and class rank percentile); Missouri Bright Flight scholarship (for ACT score of 30 or higher). Laura will complete a tax internship this summer at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ St. Louis office.

Laura is involved in a number of student organizations at Truman including: Beta Alpha Psi (currently-secretary; elected reporting secretary for 2011/2012); Delta Sigma Pi (Vice President of Finance); International Honor Society of Beta Gamma Sigma; Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi; Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity (Fundraising Chair for Fall 2008).

We all here at Truman congratulate Laura on this significant accomplishment!