Professor of Accounting Michelle Horning teaches a class.
Photo by Jodi H. Beyeler

The Goshen College accounting program has received some very good and well-deserved news. Based on the results of the Certified Public Accountant exam that all accounting graduates take, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) recently ranked the Goshen College accounting program as the 10^th best program in the nation in the small program category and the 2^ndbest program in Indiana overall (just behind Notre Dame).

The ranking is based on exam passing rates according to program size, which is determined by the number of individuals taking the exam, not the size of the school. There are 265 schools in the small program category, including: Duke University, Columbia University, Grace College and Taylor University. Interestingly, the Goshen College program missed being categorized as medium size by one student. Had it been ranked in that category, it would have ranked 11th nationally.

The national average pass rate for 2011 was 45.5 percent, but Goshen College’s pass rate for first-time exam candidates was 68.8 percent. Professor of Accounting Michelle Horning said, “We have always believed that our pass rates were above the national average, although this was based on anecdotal evidence only when students told us they passed and how many attempts it took them.”

Nearly 100 percent of graduates in the Goshen College program get jobs in accounting, with many students having offers prior to graduation and the rest finding jobs within a few months after graduating, according to Horning. Currently, 100 percent of senior accounting majors have accounting internships for next semester. “It is unusual for a school our size to have as many accounting firms and companies come to campus to interview and recruit students,” she said. “Three of the top ten accounting firms in the nation actively recruit students from Goshen College by coming to campus. Additionally, a handful of local and regional firms of various sizes recruit on campus.”

Goshen’s program has a unique element that gives graduates some of the best preparation: a required, full-time, paid internship built into our accounting curriculum, according to Horning. “This hands-on experience prepares students for a full-time position, often with the firm they interned with,” she said. “The interdisciplinary general education curriculum, especially the international experience, coupled with a strong accounting curriculum gives students an edge when they are looking for employment. Many firms tell us that there is ‘something different’ about Goshen College students, that they are ‘mature, confident and competent.’”

The winning team at MEDA’s Student Case Competition comprised of three senior business majors: Kristina Lopienski of Bartlett, Ill.; Clayton Miller of Goshen; and Hans Weaver of New Holland, Pa.

At MEDA’s (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) annual Business as a Calling Convention in Niagara Falls in early November 2012, Goshen College business students won the Student Case Competition. The winning team at Goshen comprised of three senior business majors: Kristina Lopienski of Bartlett, Ill.; Clayton Miller of Goshen; and Hans Weaver of New Holland, Pa.

The competition is hosted by MEDA for university and college students, giving them practical experience on solving real business problems. Seven student teams were challenged to develop a business plan for Winterfeld Greenbau Construction Co. from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Each team had to give a presentation to the judging panel explaining their solution to at least one of challenges given, providing fresh insight to owner Will Winterfeld. After a busy afternoon of intense competition, Goshen College edged out Bluffton (Ohio) University for first place.

Winterfeld expressed such thanks to the students who took part in the competition, sharing that, “It was a great opportunity to hear new perspectives and innovative ideas on how to solve some of the challenges I’m facing. I encouraged the students to not only seek a vocation in their field of study but to also seek an avocation to use their passions to help build a more just world. All teams should be commended on their efforts and their professional presentations because it made it very difficult to select a winner.”

MEDA is an association of Christians, in business and the professions, committed to applying biblical teachings in the marketplace; MEDA members share their faith, abilities and resources to address human needs through economic development, believing that all people may experience Christ’s love and utilize their abilities to earn a livelihood, provide for families and enrich their communities.