More than 80 students and alumni gathered at the Graduate Accounting Spring Mixer on May 16 at the DePaul Center in the Loop. Held twice each year, the mixer is a networking and social event for students, alumni, faculty and friends of DePaul’s graduate accounting programs in accountancy (MSA), taxation (MST), and audit & advisory services (MSAA).
Brian Maj (left) with Dion Meggs (right)
Each year, the School of Accountancy & MIS aims is to create opportunities for faculty and students to develop professional working relationships both inside and outside of the classroom. “We realized students and faculty see each other in classes, but don’t necessarily have a space to meet socially,” said Brian Maj, senior program administrator. “This is a way to bridge students across programs so they can expand their personal and professional networks.”
In addition to welcoming new students and giving them a chance to meet the faculty they will have throughout their program (usually over two years), the event invites alumni to make new connections and reconnect with former faculty and peers.
“As a recent alum, I appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with past professors and network with the next cohort of graduates entering the job force,” said Dion Meggs (BUS ’08, MSAA ’18), forensic accounting senior at Crowe.
Prospective students were also invited for a chance to learn more about the MS programs. “The best way to see if graduate school is right for you, and if a program meets your career goals, is to talk to other students,” says Garry Cooke, director of admission and recruitment in DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. “It’s the people who drive a program’s reputation and quality.”
Professional Lecturer Dianne Kuhlmann
The event wrapped up with several faculty sharing information and updates about their teaching and programs, including Hui Lin, associate professor, who teaches accounting information systems in MSA; David Wang, associate professor, who teaches audit analytics in MSAA; and Diane Kuhlmann, professional lecturer, who teaches various tax courses, including professional writing, in MST.
The next student mixer is scheduled for October 2019, just after midterm exams, with another one slated in May 2020, near the end of the school year. The school keeps its alumni community updated on other news, events and happenings through its LinkedIn group: DePaul University School of Accountancy & MIS.
