By Anika Keese
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s School of Accountancy is helping each student gain the knowledge and experience needed to expand their learning and prepare for the future.
For Jimmy Downes, director of the School of Accountancy, the mission is simple. The advancement of the school starts with students and faculty.
“We want to be at the forefront of the education, learning and transformation for students, in addition to accounting, discovery and research,” Downes said. “This means we want to produce high-quality research that is published in top journals for our faculty.”
Additionally, a point of pride for the school is its ability to give students real-life experience that benefits not only students but also employers.
By gaining experience in different workplaces, students can explore various career paths within accounting and better determine which career they’d like to pursue in the future. The school’s spring internship program is a perfect example of this.
“It allows students to remain full-time while doing a full eight-week internship and take courses outside of that, which is beneficial to the firms because they’re really busy during the spring, and the students can remain full-time,” Downes said.
These initiatives that push students toward success would not be possible without donor and alumni support to the School of Accountancy Development Fund. Through this fund, the school not only can support this programming but also provide scholarship opportunities.
“[Donor support] helps our rankings in the research world, and that helps external recognition,” Downes said. “Donors have also provided significant amounts to student scholarships. In the last year, we awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to our students. That’s a significant impact for any student … especially those first-gen students who don’t have the same opportunities as compared to other students.”
Looking ahead, this funding will continue to empower students through the Student Success Academy. Donor contributions not only provide scholarships to freshmen entering the program but also strengthen the program’s faculty. From the moment the freshman cohort arrives on campus, this support helps them start building their professional network and sets them on a path to success.
Please consider donating to the UNL School of Accountancy Development Fund to further encourage growth in students, faculty and programming.
School of Accountancy Development Fund
A gift to this fund provides much needed support to the School of Accountancy and allows the school to meet priority needs as they arise.
“We also want to be engagers within the state with employers and alumni to continue to develop the community [among] the accounting professionals. We stand out from other schools with our efforts and ability to align students with employers and give them experiences while they're students in the form of internships.”
