September 06, 2006

School of Accountancy plans annual career day

by Sun Min

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Business students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will meet representatives from some of the world's leading corporations during the sixth annual Accounting Career Day held by the School of Accountancy, part of the College of Business and Administration. The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the alumni lounge at the Student Recreation Center.

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Media Advisory

Reporters, camera crews and photographers are welcome to attend the conference. To schedule an interview, contact Marcus D. Odom, director of the School of Accountancy at 618/453-1408, or Donna M. Margolis, business placement center director at 618/453-4068.

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Every fall, recruiters from across the country descend on the SIUC campus to meet with accounting students. The Accounting Career Day attendance list reads like a who's who of big business and includes Archer Daniels Midland, Caterpillar Inc., Pepsi MidAmerica, Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young, to name a few.

The conference is growing each year. This year, five new participants — Anders, Minkler & Diehl LLP, Central States Funds, Swink, Fiehler & Co., P.C., Larson, Allen, Weishair & Co., LLP and Calamos Investments — join the list for a total of 22 companies interviewing students during the fair.

"The School of Accountancy has earned a good reputation with all of the major public, private and governmental recruiters," said Marcus D. Odom, director of the School of Accountancy.

"Our graduates have excelled in their jobs and the companies have recognized this quality in our graduates. We also have a very good relationship with our alumni and many of those alumni are now in positions that will allow them to influence the hiring practices of their companies."

In fact, the School of Accountancy boasts a nearly 100 percent placement rate for its students. "Our students are sought after," said Donna M. Margolis, business placement center director. "This fair is the students' primary introduction to the job market and so it is a pivotal point for them in terms of launching their job search."

Providing services to meet the career-planning needs of students is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.