Accounting Department

Why Study Accounting at Fisher?

The Accounting program at St. John Fisher College is known for providing exceptional graduates to the accounting profession because of our commitment to achieving excellence in accounting education. To do this, we prepare students with an understanding of the current accounting and management theories, the practical applications of those theories, and the ethical problems which they might encounter in their professional lives. Our Accounting graduates are also prepared to adapt to the rapid changes of a global economy. Accounting faculty members strive to be involved with all aspects of the students' preparation for entering the accounting profession.

Gain a Competitive Edge at Fisher

In today's increasingly competitive global environment, employers are finding themselves searching for creative and skilled employees to help lead their businesses through the coming challenges. The Accounting major at St. John Fisher College provides our students with an outstanding educational program which gives them just that competitive edge. Based on the right blend of liberal arts and professional education, our Accounting program produces graduates who have lifelong learning skills, the ability to lead others, critical thinking skills, team-building skills, and a commitment to ethical decision-making.

"The liberal arts approach Fisher has to business prepares the whole person for leadership in our economy."
Germaine Knapp, President, WORDSmart

A Holistic, Balanced Approach to Curriculum

Each of our courses is designed with an eye to educate the "whole student." Each student completing their bachelor's degree in Accounting will have an opportunity to continue toward their MBA/CPA certification.

The Accounting program is designed to provide a well-balanced education; it emphasizes practice as well as theory, implementation as well as diagnosis and decision. Fisher's Accounting faculty focus on educating tomorrow's accountants with the belief that management is not just a set of quantitative and functional skills, but a profoundly human activity. Such an approach gives our students the ability to understand and integrate the whole enterprise, rather than merely portions of it.

It is our practice to use full-time faculty to teach our courses. We also rely on adjunct faculty, who are expert practitioners, to teach in their areas of professional expertise in our program.

Highly Trained and Educated Faculty

Our faculty are committed to teaching as their first priority and are highly qualified in their fields. Besides teaching, all members of the departmental faculty are also involved in many scholarly activities; they conduct research and publish in respected, peer-reviewed journals. Some are involved in consulting activities, and most have extensive experience in the "real world" of business. This background allows our faculty to bring both the theoretical and the practical aspects of accounting to our students.

Diverse backgrounds of faculty members further enrich both their teaching and the learning experiences of their students. This diversity is reflected in the Accounting faculty's academic backgrounds (with many holding multiple advanced degrees or professional qualifications) and various heritages, making ours a truly multinational department. In today's global economy with diverse organizational work forces, this type of exposure helps to give our students an added edge.

The Advisory Board

The Accounting/Finance Department Advisory Board is comprised of prominent members of the accounting and finance professions and provides input to the faculty on changes occurring within the profession. This information allows our faculty to continually change and improve the curriculum so that graduates are best prepared for the business environment they will enter upon graduation, or during their internship opportunities.

Advanced Degree Options

For those who wish to pursue certificates or advanced degrees in the accounting field, the College offers the following option. All degree programs are registered with the Division of Professional Education of the New York State Department of Education for admission to the CPA examination.

Undergraduate Certificate in Accounting: for students who already hold a baccalaureate degree in a major other than Accounting. This is intended to prepare the person to meet the requirements to take the CPA exam.

Successful Alumni

Approximately 70 percent of Fisher graduates start their careers in public accounting, and most seniors find employment within three months of graduation at such firms as:

• The Bonadio Group
• Davie Kaplan Chapman & Braverman, P.C.
• Deloitte & Touche
• Eastman Kodak Company
• Eldredge, Fox & Porretti
• Harris Corporation
• Insero & Company
• KPMG
• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• St. Ann's Home
• Xerox Corporation

A Variety of Scholarships

In addition to College-sponsored scholarships, the Accounting/Finance Department at Fisher has additional scholarship funds available to support Accounting majors.

• Advantage Professionals Scholarship
• Bonadio Accounting Scholarship
• Charles P. Wolfe Award
• DuPlessis/Wolfe Scholarship
• The Gleason Memorial Scholarship
• Insero & Co. Accounting Scholarship
• Mengel, Metzger & Barr Accounting Scholarship
• New York State Society of CPAs Award
• Otto A. Shults Accounting Excellence Scholarship
• VanStrydonck Scholarship
• William E. Rowe Memorial Scholarship

The Annual Accounting Awards Banquet

Student and alumni achievements are recognized every spring at the Accounting Awards Banquet, held at the Riverside Convention Center in downtown Rochester.

Attended by nearly 200 alumni, students, and recruiters, it is an opportunity for students to meet professionals in various fields of accounting and to be recognized for their accomplishments during the past year.