Ernst & Young Accounting Town Hall

The Accounting and Finance Department at A&M-Commerce hosted its semi-annual Accounting Town Hall Meeting on March 23, with panelists Xavier Spencer and Chris Mitchell from Ernst & Young.

With almost 50 students attending in person and via Zoom, faculty, staff and advisors addressed the latest changes in courses and program offerings, class registration, scholarships available, graduate programs, and CMA and CPA certifications.

Held in Commerce at the College of Business, the town hall provides students with the opportunity to learn about various ways in which they can differentiate themselves to prospective employers. This included obtaining the graduate certificate in Tax Auditing as well as the newly launched Auditing and Forensic Accounting certificate, in addition to obtaining professional accounting certifications such as the CMA and CPA.

Department Head and Associate Professor of Accounting Dr. Michael Opara stated: “We were delighted to host Xavier Spencer, who specializes in Assurance, and Chris Mitchell, who specializes in Tax Accounting, at the town hall.” He continued, “Lending their experience and expertise, the town hall provided students with a platform to learn directly from these industry experts not just about the latest trends in the industry but how they can advance their careers.”

Although not a panelist, US RIM Delivery Leader and US Records & Information Management Representative for E&Y Mr. John Spencer was also in attendance.

“This is not the first time that we have partnered with Ernst & Young, and are delighted to welcome back John Spencer to speak to our students,” said Dr. Chu Chen, Assistant Professor of Accounting. “In addition to students being excited about scholarships, they were just as eager to learn about how they would be applying the theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom in the workplace from the experts we hosted.”

The informal town hall setting allows students access to a platform to network better and learn from industry experts. It also allows them the opportunity to advance their knowledge whilst bridging the classroom and workplace to truly make an impact on the students' lives. Furthermore, it provides students with full transparency about the scholarships available for them to apply for and take advantage of while they are pursuing their education at A&M-Commerce.