APSU College of Business partnership gives students real-world training
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 Last fall, the Austin Peay State University College of Business decided to do things a little differently with its income tax class for accounting majors. Instead of having a faculty member lead the course, the college brought in a tax attorney from the local CPA firm Stone, Rudolph and Henry to teach students about real-world tax filing scenarios.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 Last fall, the Austin Peay State University College of Business decided to do things a little differently with its income tax class for accounting majors. Instead of having a faculty member lead the course, the college brought in a tax attorney from the local CPA firm Stone, Rudolph and Henry to teach students about real-world tax filing scenarios.
鈥淥ne of their tax attorneys taught the class of about 20 students, teaching them what they need to know about tax law, but also how to use the tax software, which is proprietary software,鈥 Dr. Susan Cockrell, associate dean of the APSU College of Business, said. 鈥淎t the end of the semester, they offered internships to eight or nine of those students.鈥
The top students in the class worked as paid interns under the supervision of Stone, Rudolph and Henry鈥檚 tax professionals. The partnership with the CPA firm provided the students with a transformative learning experience that will likely help them succeed once they leave APSU.
鈥淭he advantage of this class is it gives our students real experience,鈥 Cockrell said. 鈥淭hey like getting that experience and being paid for it. And knowing the software they鈥檒l use when they get out of school is very beneficial to them.鈥
The partnership was so successful last year that the College of Business offered the course again this semester. Another 20 students have enrolled in the tax class taught by Jennifer Thayer, a tax attorney with Stone, Rudolph and Henry, and the top students will be offered internships with the firm next spring.
鈥淚t was a wonderful opportunity to go through the Stone, Rudolph and Henry Income Tax class,鈥 Amany Elraheb, a senior accounting major at APSU, said. 鈥淎mong the choices we have going through the accounting concentration are the various options when it comes to what we actually want to do in our careers. Receiving the internship gave me real-world experience in doing income tax, which helped me hone in on what exactly I wanted to do with my career.鈥
Elraheb and her fellow students worked 180 hours with the firm, from January until April 16. In that time, they saw first-hand what they would face as accounting professionals.
鈥淭his integration of the firm鈥檚 resources with the college created a positive, life-changing learning experience for the college鈥檚 students,鈥 Dr. Bill Rupp, dean of the APSU College of Business, said. 鈥淐urrently, this partnership is being reviewed for possible applications in other areas.鈥
The college is looking to form partnerships with other local businesses, including insurance companies, that can give APSU business students a head start with their professional careers. For more information, contact the APSU College of Business at 931-221-7674.
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Photo cutline: Local tax attorney Jennifer Thayer (center) teaches an income tax class for the APSU College of Business. (Photo by Taylor Slifko/APSU).