Increasing Diversity through University Multi-faceted Mentoring Program

• In Event: Public Interest 3

Abstract

This research describes a program created by a partnership between members of an accounting department and a local community leader who serves on the college’s advisory council. The program addresses underrepresented racial groups in the accounting professional. The program called The Aspiring Accounting Professional Program (AAPP), targets African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics with goals of increasing their numbers in profession. The approach is to focus on helping students obtain a firm understanding of accounting concepts, thereby increasing their ability to achieve academic and professional success. In particular, the program uses an externship to complement the in-class learning experience of intermediate accounting lectures. The outcome results of the first year show improvement in the overall GPA of the students in the program and growth.

Authors

• Evelyn A McDowell, Rider University

• Maria H Sanchez, Rider University

• Margaret O'Reilly-Allen, Rider University