Waynesburg University business students recently met and networked with the chairman of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), Michael Colgan. Colgan visited campus last month to speak to the Business Club about the future of the accounting profession.
“Students had the opportunity to learn the latest thinking about the profession,” said Jayne Olshanski, assistant professor of accounting. “Much of [Colgan’s] talk supported what is taught in the classroom at Waynesburg. However, students benefit doubly when they hear news of the profession from an authority like the CEO/Executive Director of the PICPA.”
According to Olshanski, Colgan spoke to students about changes to the field and its technology, the Certified Public Accountants exam and important job skills for the coming years – including critical thinking, creativity, judgement and decision making.
“It was rewarding to learn that many of the skills that Waynesburg University fosters in students, such as critical thinking, service orientation and judgement, were on the top 10 job skills list for the future,” said Olshanski.
Olshanski said students were “energized” by the presentation. She said the Business Club regularly hosts speakers such as Colgan as part of its Professional Development Series, which is open to everyone on campus. Also this semester, the Business Club hosted Pittsburgh-area partners from Deloitte, a multinational accounting organization, who spoke about public accounting in the greater Pittsburgh area.
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is one of only 22 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
