USM School of Accountancy Holds Inaugural Meet and Greet

Fri, 01/31/2020 - 04:54pm | By: Van Arnold

The School of Accountancy at The University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development hosted its inaugural Meet and Greet event on Thursday, Jan. 30, in the Lock Commons and Mississippi Power Foyer of Scianna Hall on the Hattiesburg campus.

This marks the first year that the spring recruiting event has been hosted at Southern Miss, successfully featuring more than 170 participants with 18 firms represented.

The event provides yet another opportunity for accounting students to meet and network with employers, as a complement to the annual Meet the Firms event, which occurs at the beginning of each fall semester. “Meet the Firms” is a national initiative designed to provide accounting firms and employers throughout the country an opportunity to showcase their organization’s attributes to accounting students. 

With 100 percent placement for USM students in the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) Program, events such as the Spring Meet and Greet and Meet the Firms, offer those first opportunities for students to begin the career development process. Those attending included firm and company representatives, current accounting students, Southern Miss accounting alumni, faculty members, and staff. Many of our very own School of Accountancy alumni returned to campus during this event as representatives of their firms (as seen in photo). 

“We are so excited to be able to host the inaugural spring Meet and Greet event at USM, and we look forward to continuing this new tradition in future years. This spring recruiting event provides the opportunity for our students to gain exposure to the accounting profession and network with firm representatives and potential employers,” said Amber Hatten, CPA, Professor of Practice and Director of the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program. “This kind of experience assists with their career development and gives them a competitive advantage in securing both internships and full-time positions.

Added Hatten: “We are very proud of our accounting students and are here to help them in any way that we can, especially through recruiting events such as these. We sincerely appreciate the wonderful support of firms, employers, and alumni that remain so actively engaged and committed to the USM School of Accountancy by participating in these on-campus recruiting events and are particularly grateful for their continued interest in recruiting and hiring our talented accounting students at Southern Miss.”

"The Spring Meet and Greet was an excellent networking experience that our employers, students, and faculty enjoyed. Our intentions were to make the setting of this event more casual and less intimidating for the students, allowing them to focus more on what was important, such as making valuable connections, said Dr. Marvin Bouillon, Director of the School of Accountancy. “Thank you to those who helped make this happen, including many faculty and staff members, Beta Alpha Psi representatives, and USM Career Services.”

The School of Accountancy and College of Business and Economic Development extends a special thank you to all of the professional participants:

1. Becker CPA Review
2. BKD CPAs & Advisors
3. Carr, Riggs, & Ingram CPAs and Advisors 
4. C Spire
5. Ernst & Young, LLP
6. GranthamPoole, PLLC
7. Haddox Reid Eubank Betts, PLLC
8. Hancock Whitney Bank
9. Harper Rains Knight & Co., P.A. 
10. Jones Logistics, LLC
11. KPMG LLP
12. Mississippi Department of Revenue
13. Mississippi Office of the State Auditor
14. Mississippi Society of CPAs
15. Postlethwaite & Netterville
16. Smith Dukes & Buckalew, LLP
17. Surgent CPA Review
18. TMH, PLLC 

The USM School of Accountancy offers an accounting undergraduate program and a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program, both of which are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.

To learn more about the USM School of Accountancy, call 601.266.4641 or visit: https://www.usm.edu/accountancy/