University News
QC Accountancy Faculty Create Mentor Program
July 16, 2002
MOLINE, IL -- Two Western Illinois University-Quad Cities accountancy faculty, along with a Quad City-area business professional, have created a grassroots mentor program to get college students interested in accountancy off on the right foot.
WIU-QC faculty Martin Coe and Anthony Falgiani, and Joel Thompson, senior internal auditor for Mid-American Energy Company in Davenport, IA, received an Innovations in Accounting Education Grant from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) to create the IMA Grassroots Mentor Program for the Illowa IMA chapter. The proposal was one of only 15 funded nationally, Falgiani said.
According to Falgiani, the mission of the mentor program is to develop students' managerial accounting knowledge by promoting IMA membership and certification.
"The key to this initiative is the utilization of local IMA chapter members as mentors," he said. "Thanks to IMA members that have volunteered their time and talent to serve as mentors to local college students, we have assigned 34 students to 20 mentors, and we have a waiting list of 19 additional students. It's obvious the students are interested in this program."
The Grassroots Mentor Program was chosen by the IMA as one of the top three grant programs in the nation, Falgiani added.
"This program brought 35 new student members to the Illowa IMA chapter this year," he said. "This initiative further demonstrates our commitment to students and to future members of the accounting profession. The benefits of this program are continuous."
Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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