Release Date: Thursday, July 12, 2001

TERRY COLLEGE HOSTS SUMMER PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO CONSIDER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN ACCOUNTING

ATHENS, Ga. — The J.M. Tull School of Accounting in the Terry College of Business, in conjunction with the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA), is hosting the third annual High School Residency Program at the University of Georgia for four days beginning Sunday, July 15.

Sixty students will attend this year's program, designed to expose them to the practice of accounting and to consider careers in the profession.

Program organizer Mark Dawkins, a member of GSCPA's Minority Issues Committee and an accounting professor at the Terry College, said the program is essential to the future of the profession. "For the Georgia Society of CPAs and the accounting industry, much of the future depends on the nurturing and training of today's talent," he said. "It is critical to reach students while they are thinking about career options during high school."

While on campus, the students will participate in accounting workshops and case studies and hear guest speakers from the Terry College faculty, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Big 5 accounting firms and other regional firms. Sessions in this year's program will cover the topics of professional ethics, computer technology, applying to colleges, and career skills such as résumé writing and interviewing.

The accounting firms and companies that are sponsoring students to attend the summer program free of charge include: Gifford, Hillegass and Ingwersen; Habif, Arogeti and Wynne; Andersen; Ernst and Young; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Turner Broadcasting System; KPMG; Georgia Pacific; Tarpley and Underwood; Windham Brannon; Thomas Concrete of Georgia; and Herman Silver and Associates.

In recent years, the accounting industry has seen an overall decline nationally in the number of students graduating in accounting and, in turn, taking the Certified Public Accountant exam. The GSCPA co-sponsors initiatives like the Terry College summer program to help address this issue in Georgia, according to the organization. The GSCPA Web site is www.gscpa.org.

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