High School Juniors: UB Accepting Applications for Accounting Career Preview

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- High school juniors can sign up now for an innovative program exploring careers in accounting.

The University at Buffalo School of Management and the Foundation for Accounting Education of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) are accepting applications through May 11 for the seventh annual Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP) program.

The program will run June 24-28 on UB’s North Campus and will feature a comprehensive series of breakout sessions designed to provide participants with insights into all the components of an accounting education and career.

The goal of the COAP program is to increase minority participation in the accounting field, and recruitment is focused on minority groups historically underrepresented in the profession. Only high school juniors (next year's seniors) are eligible to participate.

Ann Cohen, associate professor of accounting in the UB School of Management, has led the Buffalo COAP program since its inception in 2006. “It is our hope that if minority students realize early on that the accounting profession has a variety of interesting opportunities, we can increase the number of candidates who enter the field,” she says.

A number of area accounting firms will give presentations on campus, and students will make off-site visits to accounting firms and corporate headquarters, where they will take company tours and speak with accounting representatives from those firms.

The program also will include a wide variety of professional development opportunities, including a business lunch called “Putting Your Best Fork Forward,” which will feature etiquette tips for working meals; a “dress for success” session; a “speed-meeting” event; a résumé-writing workshop; and sessions on job-search strategies, interviewing techniques, public speaking and ethics.

Interested candidates can download an application at the following link: www.nysscpa.org/futurecpas/buffalo12.pdf. The deadline is May 11, but space is limited and applicants should apply as soon as possible.

Questions can be directed to Professor Cohen at abc@buffalo.edu or 716-645-3269.

NYSSCPA represents 28,000 CPAs and is the oldest state accounting organization in the nation. Incorporated in 1897, the society is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to establish and maintain high standards of integrity, honor and character among certified public accountants. The Buffalo Chapter, with nearly 1,500 members, encompasses Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties. To learn more about the society, visit www.nysscpa.org.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.