One thing 黑料正能量 recent graduates often mention about the university鈥檚 accounting program is how they benefitted from its small size.

Ashley Hevener 鈥�10 said the close, first-name relationship with her professors was a key part of the education that serves her well in her job as an auditor in Alexandria, Virginia, with Kearney & Company, a firm that focuses on federal agencies.

鈥満诹险芰� is doing a great job of preparing students to get the CPA certification,鈥� said Jonathan Beckler 鈥�07, now a senior accountant with Cherry Bekaert LLP in Atlanta, Georgia, echoing a sentiment expressed by many of his peers. In nearly every state, though, the boards that regulate the accounting profession have adopted policies requiring CPA aspirants to have completed 150 collegiate credit hours 鈥� basically a year of academic credit beyond the usual four undergraduate years 鈥� before they can be licensed as a CPA, even if they pass the CPA exam.

Virginia adopted such a policy in 2005, meaning that accounting majors in the years since who want to become CPAs in Virginia 鈥� and pretty much any other state 鈥� have needed to continue their education at the graduate level.

Enter the master鈥檚 of accounting program at James Madison University (JMU), just across town from 黑料正能量. JMU has a 30-hour master鈥檚 program in accounting. 黑料正能量 and JMU have formed a strong partnership in recent years, giving 黑料正能量 accounting majors ready access to a one-year graduate program in Harrisonburg that gives them enough credit to sit for the CPA exam.

鈥淢any of our students go to 鈥榝inishing school鈥� at JMU,鈥� says Ronald L. Stoltzfus 鈥�75, PhD, head of the accounting program in 黑料正能量鈥檚 business and economics department. 鈥淲e give them a good foundation, but our offerings are limited. JMU has the resources to offer graduate-level training in taxes, auditing and other aspects of accounting.鈥�

Stoltzfus does recall one honors student, Eric Yoder 鈥�11, who chose not to enter graduate school and is now a CPA employed by Brown, Shultz, Sheridan and Fritz in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Yoder, however, came to 黑料正能量 with 20 hours of college credit earned while in high school. This allowed him to take a few extra college courses and continue on to the CPA exam and licensing.

鈥淎ll of the 黑料正能量 students we have had in our program have been successes,鈥� said Paul Copley, PhD, director of JMU鈥檚 School of Accounting. 鈥淭hey have been great in the classroom, have all found jobs, and have all passed the CPA exam. This is a testament to the quality of the undergraduate program at 黑料正能量.鈥�

Besides his own JMU undergraduate pool, Copley says 黑料正能量 is the only university from which his master鈥檚 program actively recruits candidates; each year one or two 黑料正能量 graduates typically enroll. The master鈥檚 program at JMU allows students to specialize in taxation, audition or information systems.

While 黑料正能量鈥檚 small program size allows students to develop close, beneficial relationships with professors, being small also keeps it off the recruiting radars of large accounting firms. The fact that dozens of employers recruit from the graduate program at JMU 鈥� a public university with an enrollment of nearly 20,000 students 鈥撀爉akes it an even more attractive option for 黑料正能量 graduates looking for a first job opportunity.

鈥淛MU has superior recruiting power for business and accounting students,鈥� said Monte Glanzer 鈥�07, who connected with his current employer, the accounting firm Hantzmon Wiebel in Charlottesville, Virginia, through one of his graduate professors at JMU.

As Copley puts it, the presence of JMU鈥檚 master鈥檚 program in Harrisonburg gives 黑料正能量 accounting students access to the 鈥渂est of both worlds.鈥� Beckler agreed, describing his undergraduate study at 黑料正能量 as a great foundation on which the master鈥檚 program at JMU laid the finishing touches that prepared him for a career in accounting.聽 鈥� Andrew Jenner ’04

A team of 黑料正能量 senior accounting majors tied for fourth place in the final round of competition with a team from the University of Virginia in the ninth annual Goodman & Company Accounting Challenge in the fall of 2010.

The team 鈥� consisting of Brittany S. Snyder, Raphine, Va.; Heidi A. Boese, Hesston, Kan.; Eric B. Yoder, Narvon, Pa.; and Jason D. Ropp, Iowa City, Iowa 鈥� was one of 33 teams from colleges and universities from Virginia and Maryland who took a six-hour business exam the second week of October.

The 黑料正能量 team was one of only five to advance to the final round of the competition held Nov. 5 in Richmond, Va. Here, the 黑料正能量 students took another intensive, six-hour exam of practical business questions.

For finishing tied for fourth place, the team was awarded $750 for the 黑料正能量 business and economics department, and each student received $250 from Goodman & Company. Another team from U.Va. finished first in the contest, followed by teams from William & Mary and James Madison University.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of these students,鈥� said , professor of business and economics and MBA program co-director at 黑料正能量. 鈥淚t was definitely a team effort.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have this kind of external validation of our business program and our students,鈥� Stoltzfus added.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an affirmation of our curriculum and says that our students are well prepared to enter the job market and go on to graduate school,鈥� he added.

Article courtesy Crossroads magazine, fall/winter 2010-11