SCUAA News
The Santa Clara University Accounting Association was able host a variety of events prior to the University’s transition to on-line operations. Fall quarter saw the 2019 Meet the Firms and the Fall Accounting Career Night. In Winter, SCUAA officers assisted with the Accounting Information Night and the Sophomore Career Fair. Traditional Spring events, such as the Senior Barbeque had to be put on hold, but the SCUAA officers pivoted to planning virtual events for this Fall. The primary event was a virtual Meet the Firms, which was held in partnership with the Career Center for the first time.
While a virtual event was undoubtedly different, there are also advantages. In the format chosen for this Fall, recruiters were able to field up to 15 professionals simultaneously, expanding the opportunities for student interaction. Firms set parameters to identify students with the appropriate profiles. Also, rather than lining up in a physical space, students signed up in advance for a private 10 minute 1:1 discussion with a firm professional. The SCUAA officers were successful in getting useful information out to both firms and students and the reactions to the event have been mostly positive.
When the SCU Accounting Department began interviewing faculty candidates for a tenure-track assistant professor position, they invited the student leaders of the SCU Accounting Association (SCUAA) to participate in the process. This is the first time the SCUAA officers have participated in the interview process and student leaders were included due to the high level of student/faculty interaction within the Accounting Department. In October 2020, SCUAA officers interviewed four candidates that the Department had selected for final round interviews, assessing their teaching strategies and overall fit within the LSB, and discussed their impressions of the candidates at an Accounting Department faculty meeting. The department successfully concluded the search in November with Stacey Ritter (doctoral student at the University of Southern California) accepting our offer to join the SCU faculty in September 2021. Stacey has professional experience in audit and consulting at Deloitte, internal audit at Raytheon, and special projects for the Provost Office at the University of Cincinnati. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant with a master’s degree in Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin.
Additionally, every quarter, SCUAA invites a CPA exam review company to present on the latest CPA exam guidelines and any important information students will need to know before taking the test. Topics include exam sign-up, structure, content, study tips, and more. Every Fall and Winter Quarter, SCUAA invites several CPA firms and professionals to conduct Mock Interviews to allow students to practice their interview skills. The mock interviews are also an opportunity for students to connect with professionals and firms that they may potentially work with in the future.
Meet the current SCU Accounting Association Officers here.