EKU Accounting Heads to Houston for Student Leadership Conference
Four Eastern Kentucky University students traveled to Houston, Tex., to attend the Institute of Management Accountants Student Leadership Conference Nov. 9-11, 2017. This annual conference offers opportunities to tour local industries, attend workshop sessions, and participate in networking events. Over 700 students, faculty members, and industry representatives were in attendance at this year’s conference.
The EKU students who attended found the conference to be not only educationally beneficial but a fun, enjoyable and memorable experience as well. Students commented that the highlights of the experience included many inspirational speakers, with opportunities for questions and answers following, and gaining insight into the management accounting profession. One student commented that, “The conference really opened my eyes to the world of management accounting.” Another said, “It opened my mind to different aspects of finance and accounting I had not considered (forecasting, criminal investigations).”
Students agreed that one highlight of the conference was the final session. The keynote speaker was Andrew Fastau, former CFO of Enron. His presentation, “Rules vs. Principles,” was focused on helping students know about the pressures they will face in their careers. One student commented that Mr. Fastau “made me think of the gray areas of ethics.”
Dr. Trish Isaacs, Associate Professor of Accounting, also attended the conference and commented, “IMA provides a wealth of resources and support for accounting and finance students, and it was great to see our students take advantage of this opportunity. Most of our students have never attended a professional conference, so the experience is particularly enriching. Students had the opportunity to network with other students as well as industry professionals and were inspired by workshop speakers. They returned to campus with renewed enthusiasm for their professional development and their career paths in management accounting and finance.”
EKU Accounting alumnus Gayle McCroskey and her husband Robert, also an EKU alum, made a generous contribution to fund the students’ travel to IMA SLC. Without their support, it would not have been possible for the students to attend this conference.
Photo caption (top photo, from left): Morgan Saylor, Nicholas Austin, Zachary Lakes, Andrew Wolery, and Dr. Trish Isaacs.
Photo caption (bottom photo, from left): Andrew Wolery, Dr. Trish Isaacs, Morgan Saylor, Nicholas Austin, and Zachery Lakes.
Published on November 12, 2017