‘Meet the Firms’ Sees Impressive Turnout in Return to In-Person Format

Tue, 09/28/2021 - 03:49pm | By: Van Arnold

The opportunity to engage in a traditional format was never more appreciated than during the “Meet the Firms” event held at The University of Southern Mississippi’s Trent Lott Center earlier this month.

Hosted annually by the School of Accountancy in USM’s College of Business and Economic Development, last year’s event was held in a virtual format for fall 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Employers returned to the Hattiesburg campus for the fall 2021 event held on Sept. 2, with 18 firms represented and more than 150 attendees participating.

“We still had a number of firms unable to participate this fall due to both COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida, but we were honestly thrilled to have the firms and students back on campus for the fall 2021 event,” said Amber Hatten, Professor of Practice and Director of USM’s MPA Program. “Meet the Firms provides an important networking opportunity for accounting students to connect with employers, for both internship and full-time positions.”

Added Hatten: “There is truly no substitute for face-to-face interaction and conversation between students and employers, and we were grateful to be able to plan and execute the event successfully in a safe, spacious and sanitized way.”

“Meet the Firms” is a national initiative designed to provide accounting firms and other companies throughout the country an opportunity to showcase their organization’s attributes to accounting students. With 100 percent placement for USM students in the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) Program, Meet the Firms offers that first opportunity for students to begin the career development process.

"We feel that this event was a massive success during these trying times. Many of the firm representatives shared remarks about their appreciation of our event being in-person," said Dr. Marvin Bouillon, Director of USM’s School of Accountancy.

Firms participating in the event included:

Alexander, Van Loon, Sloan, Levens, & Favre, PLLC

Becker CPA Review

Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC

Crow Shields Bailey PC

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

GranthamPoole PLLC

Hancock Whitney

Harper Rains Knight & Company

Horne LLP

Matthews Cutrer & Lindsay, P.A.

Mississippi Department of Revenue

Mississippi Office of the State Auditor

Mississippi Society of CPAs

Piltz, Williams, LaRosa & Company

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Silas Simmons, LLP

Topp McWhorter Harvey PLLC

UWorld Rogers CPA Review

The USM School of Accountancy offers an accounting undergraduate program and a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program, both of which are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. Meet the Firms is just one of many opportunities the School provides to set their students up for success.

To learn more about the School of Accountancy and the College of Business and Economic Development, call 601.266.4659 or visit: https://www.usm.edu/business/index.php