Faculty, staff, and students from the College of Business and Communication recently participated in student night with the Northeast Georgia chapter of the Georgia Society of CPAs.
Junior accounting major Jaci Copeland was recognized earlier this year as one of the recipients of a scholarship from the chapter for this academic year. Copeland has leveraged professional development and networking opportunities within the College of Business and Communication to support her progression at Syfan Logistics from a mentorship program, to a summer internship, and now into a part-time auditing role.
Business Department faculty members Stephen Patrick, Ph.D., Pennie Pinkerton, and Dean’s Assistant Portia Clark coordinated and attended the event with College of Business and Communication students. More than 20 Brenau students participated in the event.
“The accounting profession is entering a historic moment of opportunity, and today’s accounting students aren’t just preparing for the future, they’re stepping directly into it,” Patrick said. “With nearly 75% of current CPAs approaching retirement and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 5% job growth for accounting roles, outpacing the national average, there has never been more momentum or more room to rise. For accounting students, opportunity isn’t just ahead, it’s happening right now, and Brenau is well-positioned to meet the industry’s growing demand.”
Accounting students have also had several guest speakers to class this semester, including Jason Zirkle, the training director of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners; and Roger Nixon, vice president of business development for CKH Group.
“The CKH Group is probably the fastest growing CPA firm in the nation,” Patrick said. “Due to Roger’s efforts this past year alone, they were outside the Top 500 Accounting Firms in the Nation and now they are ranked No. 353 in the nation.”
