Program News
Mentoring Program Growing for Minority Accounting Students
About 20 to 30 percent of undergraduate accounting students go on to graduate school, but a much lower percentage of minority students obtain graduate degrees. To remedy this, the School of Accounting (SOA), with the help of Friends of Accounting (FAD), has formed the FAD-SOA Mentoring Association.
Twenty-nine members of the accounting profession in the Columbia area mentored Moore students during the Spring 2004 semester. During the Fall 2004 term, the number of mentors increased to 38.
The program aims to increase the awareness of career opportunities in accounting. It also provides motivational speakers who emphasize the importance of being a conscientious student, obtaining an advanced degree, and becoming active in the profession.
Mentors also meet one-on-one with their assigned students for lunch or an informal meeting at least once a semester, have an office visit with them at least once a year, and telephone or e-mail them at least once a month.
“After only one year, we believe the Mentoring Association has been a success, and will continue to grow as students hear about the benefits,” said Dr. Richard White, professor in the School of Accounting. “Some students have received immediate benefits in the form of an internship and/or job offer that they might not have received if they had not been involved in the association.”