On Sept. 19, the University of North Dakota held their annual accounting fair where accounting students had the opportunity to meet 32 potential employers.

“Our programs provide rigorous technical and academic preparation, experiential learning opportunities and career development skills that prepare our students for interviewing and a successful career,” Dr. Katherine Campbell Professor and Chair of the Department of Accountancy said.

Deloitte, EY and PwC are among the top four accounting firms that made an appearance at UND. Accounting is one of the largest majors at UND with 370 students.This year,145 students attended the accounting fair. Students had the opportunity to go “bowling with the recruiters” before the accounting fair began.

“Know which questions you are going to ask beforehand and be open-minded,” Ilene Odegard, director of Career Services said. “Stop at all the booths because you don’t know what opportunities you may miss. Come well-prepared with questions and info about yourself.”

Many of the recruiters are UND Accountancy alumni, but firms without alumni connections are also attracted to the career fair, building recruiting relationships.

“UND Accountancy alumni, recruiters and friends create opportunities for students,” Dr. Campbell said. ”Faculty and staff prepare students to excel and as alumni, our students return to create more opportunities for the next generation of UND Accountancy students.”

Every year the Department of Accountancy hosts an accounting trip for students wanting to explore potential employers. The trip goes to Minneapolis and 40 students attended this year. Many public accounting firms offer students to participate in a summer leadership program. lasting one to three days in length. This provides students with excellent insight into the culture and opportunities of the firm, which can often lead into an internship.

The accounting career fair has been pretty steady over the last few years and the hope is that it remains steady over the coming years.

“This is such an impactful event because it allows students to connect with firms and alumni in person,” Kathy Lund, Director of the Pancratz Career Development Center said.

The UND Accounting department was the recent recipient of an anonymous $1 million dollar grant. The department plans to distribute 20 percent of the donation towards an endowment for graduate student stipends. The remaining $800,000 will go towards the Kulas Koppenhaver Endowed Professorship. The gift has helped the endowment reach $2.5 million. The endowed chair is named for R.D. Koppenhaver and Ludwik Kulas. Both individuals have played a large role in the accounting department. Koppenhaver sat as the chair of the accounting department from 1946 to 1971 and Kulas was a professor from 1946 – 1971, retiring from the University in 1988.

This is the first endowed chair for the accountancy department. The endowment will go towards multiple different funds across campus including faculty members salaries. The fund will also allow the department to participate in expensive research and serve a greater number of students.