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Accounting Students Learn Importance of Financial Transparency

A team of four accounting majors in the NC State University Poole College of Management experienced the complexity of translating government financial documents into understandable reports for the nation’s citizens.

That was the challenge of the annual Association of Government Accountants’ (AGA) National Leadership Conference case competition. Poole College’s team, comprised of William “Edward” Callis, Nicole Teibel, Tara Tripp, and James Zidar, was one of three selected for the finals, out of 30 schools participating in the first round in fall 2010.

Each of the three teams presented its Citizen Centric Report at the AGA national conference held Feb. 17-18, 2011, in Washington, D.C. As finalists, AGA funded their travel, accommodations, and registration for the annual conference. The Poole College team competed at the nationals against teams from accounting programs at Ohio Dominican University and the University of Wisconsin.

Teams were selected for the finals in November based on the uniqueness of their Citizen Centric Report, prepared for the fictional city of Pepperdom, VA, and supporting paper. Just before winter break, they met to plan their strategy for the final competition, and worked nearly every day in January and February to practice their final presentation. For the Citizen Centric Report, the students were required to review and translate complex government documents and present the information in a format for public use.

While the team did not come home with an award, the team members report that the experience was valuable. Teibel said that he “learned the importance of providing transparent financial information to taxpayers, and how a simple four-page “Citizen Centric Report” can enhance government accountability.”

The competition also provided an exceptional networking opportunity and allowed the team to learn how governments are striving to become more accountable by providing citizens with simple reports, Callis said. “While we were in D.C., we were able to meet and speak to so many influential people from every branch of the federal government,” he said.

The top undergraduate accounting, financial management, and business students in the country were invited to compete in AGA’s fourth annual Government Finance Case Challenge.

The competition is designed to challenge students’ moral reasoning, raise their awareness of the importance of government accountability and open doors to a future career in government, according to the AGA website. Each student participant receives a free one-year membership to AGA. Scott Showalter, professor of accounting and the team’s faculty advisor, said that the competition was an opportunity for the students to learn about a new topic while competing at the national level.