Business and Industry | NewsJune 14, 2024

Students Awarded Thousands in Scholarships

Written By: Ian Silvester

There’s nothing quite like ending the semester with good news. Whether it’s from passing a test, finishing with a desired grade, receiving a job offer, or lining your pocket with money, good news to end a semester is difficult to rival.

For three accounting students at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, the end of the year came with the news of academic scholarships. Recently, seniors Connor Hadley-Kimbrell and Travis Johns were each awarded $2,000, and Kevin Allen was given $2,200 toward completing their Bachelor of Business Administration degrees with accounting concentrations, courtesy of the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants’ (ARCPA) Student Education Fund. The funds will be given to use for fall classes.

According to the ARCPA website, the Student Education Fund awards scholarships to accounting majors attending four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas who have completed 75 semester hours with a minimum of 12 semester hours in accounting, maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and be enrolled to take the CPA exam or obtain a CPA certification. The ARCPA created the fund to “aid, promote, develop and advance education and research relating to the study, teaching and practice of accountancy and related allied fields.”

Dr. Latisha Settlage, dean of the UAFS College of Business and Industry, praised the students’ hard work in the classroom and celebrated their award.

“These students have accomplished exceptional academic records, and they are committed to pursuing a path to CPA licensure,” she said. “The College of Business and Industry is grateful for the Arkansas Society of CPAs’ support of these aspiring accounting professionals and their continued success.”

UAFS assistant professor of accounting, Dr. Randall Stone, reiterated Settlage’s excitement and praise, saying that the students showed their professionalism and goal of an accounting career by taking the initiative to join the ARCPA while maintaining high marks. As students, Connor, Travis, and Kevin could become members of the ARCPA for free and have access to networking and leadership opportunities, discounts to attend accounting professional education events, and support from CPAs across the state.

“The award of scholarship funds not only helps to relieve the financial burden of pursuing a university education for students, but it also signals strong professional support to attract talented students to pursue the CPA exam, too,” Stone explained.

• Tags:
• Scholarships
• Accounting