Congratulations to:
– : Graduate Student in Accountancy and Data Analytics, COB Student Ambassador, Awarded Academic Achievement Award
– : Accounting Major, Awarded Bear Spirit Award
– Kierra Collier: Marketing Major, COB Student Ambassador
– : Information Systems Major, Awarded Third Runner Up, Producers Award, Miss Congeniality, Overall Evening Gown Award, and People’s Choice Award

Involved at UCA:
Accounting Club President
(Outstanding Accounting Club Member 2024)
Girls Who Code Treasurer
COB Student Ambassador 2022, 2023, 2024
Beta Alpha Psi member
Business Analytics Competition 2023

Why did you choose your field of study?
I was originally a marketing major. During my sophomore fall semester, I had to take Accounting 1, and I was absolutely dreading it. Once I got into it, I found that not only is it not that bad, I really enjoyed it. Before the end of the semester, I officially changed my major. In accounting, even if the answer is hard to find at first, I feel satisfied when I can figure it out and get the right answer. It isn’t frustrating for me like homework can sometimes be.

Tell us about your internship experience.
I have had one internship in the spring, and I’m starting another this summer. Handshake – I received a message from someone at the firm wanting to tell me about their internships, and then I got to meet some of the team at . For the first internship I have completed – I felt really comfortable with this firm. I could tell that they really care about their employees, and they were patient and understanding with me as I was learning. It was a paid internship for a minimum of 25 hours a week but not to exceed 40. They also let me set my own hours and were very understanding of other school commitments.

How do you think this internship will be/has been beneficial in your career?
I learned so much more about taxes. Since I’ve never had an office job before, it has been really nice to get to see the dynamic and community of it. I’ve gotten so much experience actually working on the tax forms that I feel like I definitely have a better understanding of everything I’ve been learning in my tax classes. I definitely have a better understanding of why we do things a certain way.

What advice do you have for students who may (or may not) be considering an internship?
It is definitely a very beneficial experience if you are ready for it. I think it is important to be honest with yourself and see if you think now is the right time for you to do one because you don’t want to take away from school. An internship is really the best way to see if a certain career is right for you. My internship solidified my belief that tax is the right place for me.

Something that really helped set me apart from other candidates when applying for internships was the fact that I worked on campus for two semesters as a supplemental instruction leader. I worked for Student Success here on campus to plan activities and games to help students in Accounting 1 understand the material better. Employers really liked this because, in public accounting, it is so important to be able to explain accounting concepts and regulations to people who don’t know much about accounting. Leading supplemental instruction gave me so much experience with communication and working with others. It definitely helped me prepare for my internship.

How do you plan to use your degree?
After I graduate, I’m going to stay at UCA to get my MAcc and prepare for the CPA exams. I’m planning to stay in the central Arkansas area and work in tax at a public accounting firm.

What tips or advice would you give to new, current, or prospective business students?
Get involved! The College of Business always has fun stuff going on. Club meetings are a great way to meet fellow students and to connect with professors. Talking with faculty members is so beneficial, even if they aren’t in your department.

I 100% would recommend the UCA College of Business to anyone looking into going to school for business. Something I really like about it is that UCA as a whole is big enough that you’re always meeting new people, but the College of Business is small enough that you are able to build relationships with people in it. I think our college is the perfect size because we are big enough to bring in so many amazing opportunities for students yet still small enough that I feel like I am valued as a student. UCA was the only college I applied to. That is a decision that I will never regret because UCA has made me feel valued as as student and cared about as a person since the day I moved onto campus.

Why did you choose the subject you teach?
I grew up in a family of CPAs as my father and two uncles all worked as accountants at one time or another. Being surrounded by conversation that centered on different types of businesses intrigued me and led me to the college of business. Initially not wanting to follow in my family’s footsteps, I began my academic career studying finance. However, I realized that I wanted a deeper understanding of the source material that I was employing to evaluate the performance and valuation of companies. I switched my major to accounting and have never looked back.

After earning his BS and MPAcc in Louisiana, Dr. Cating likes to celebrate LA traditions such as Mardi Gras with the UCA Accounting department.

What about your job brings you the most joy?
I get the most joy interacting with students in the classroom to get them excited about accounting and succeeding on the CPA exam as a direct result of my course as they begin their careers.

What tips or advice do you have for students?
Always seek to have an open dialogue with professors outside of class, regardless of your major (but especially in your major). The more interaction and knowledge that professors have with and about you, the more they can help you connect with potential employers both before and after graduation.

Share about your recent research and its importance.
I collaborated with and , both from the University of Arkansas, on an article published in Review of Accounting Studies in October 2023. In our article, ,” we examine the effects of local newspapers on firms’ information environments. With newspaper employment dropping precipitously in the last few decades, we posit that these changes will harm local firms’ information environments. In this study, we ask whether the intensity of local newspapers relative to the local economy (i.e., local news intensity) influences the information available about local publicly traded firms in the capital markets.

[Added note for context: to help potential investors and other outside entities analyze the health of the company and understand risks to the company’s financial performance or other issues, such as the impact of the company’s business on communities.]

Consistent with local news improving information environments, we find that volatility, spreads, and illiquidity increase as local newspaper intensity declines and that this is associated with firms’ importance in their local economy. We further find that for firms that are more important in their community, or have busy analysts, less local newspaper intensity is associated with significantly lower analyst accuracy and higher forecast dispersion. This is consistent with local newspapers improving information environments, even for sophisticated and likely remote information intermediaries. We also investigate how stakeholders respond to declines in local news and find that managers increase the amount of forward-looking disclosures while analysts increase coverage.

These results provide insights into the methods by which stakeholders attempt to improve firms’ information environments when local news coverage fades.

In Spring 2024, Dr. Cating can be found teaching undergraduate in person and online and the graduate .

Dr. Cating such as the Arkansas Legislative Audit (ALA), a group that works to prevent fraud and other crimes, to help students understand the many opportunities available and to help them network with potential employers.

Bell and Company is a public accounting firm with offices in North Little Rock, Conway, and Harrison. They are currently seeking a staff accountant for their Harrison location (starting soon or after graduation).

To apply: Send a resume to swatson@uca.edu.

Staff Accountant • Ellis, Tucker & Aldridge, LLP (Cabot, AR)

Ellis, Tucker & Aldridge is looking for a full time staff accountant for an immediate start.

To apply: Send a resume to jeff.green@etacpas.com

SO MANY more accounting internships and jobs around the country on Handshake: 

Immediate Start • Act Fast

Bell and Company is a public accounting firm. This internship is for the Conway office. There is an opportunity to see some tax, audit, and client advisory services with Bell.

To apply: Send a resume to swatson@uca.edu.

Summer 2023 Accounting Internship • Green Bay Packaging (Conway)

Green Bay Packaging, Fiber Resource Division, is seeking an accounting intern to provide overall support to our accounting team in the summer of 2023. The ideal candidate will have completed their junior year in accounting and be familiar with GAAP and proficient in Microsoft Office Excel and Outlook. The intern will support a wide range of accounting processes and will be allowed to sit in on operations and staff meetings to learn how our business works. The full-time (40hrs/week) summer internship would start May 22nd and end August 11th. Pay starts at $18.00 per hour.

To apply: Handshake  or contact Lisa Burgener lburgener@gbp.com

Summer 2023 Audit Intern • EY

Apply by January 31

At EY, you?ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. And we?re counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all. EY offers a variety of career paths and opportunities, and with so many options, we understand it can be hard to choose. To have the best candidate experience, we encourage you to apply to no more than 2 positions within a 6-month period. To learn more about career opportunities, visit Careers at EY (). Prior to completing your application, please be diligent in reviewing the job description to ensure you meet the qualifications for the position.

To apply: 

Spring & Summer 2024 Internship • Forvis (Little Rock and other locations)

As an intern at FORVIS, you will gain valuable experience that may help you decide whether you want to start your career in audit or tax, or even whether public accounting is right for you. You will work on client engagements like those assigned to our entry-level associates, gaining exposure to a variety of industries and testing out your technical know-how. You will work alongside our senior staff and management personnel, learning from their experience as you develop your skillset. Depending on local office needs, internships are available in audit, tax, or a combination of the two and can be part-time or full-time. Generally, spring semester internships run from mid-January through April 15th, and summer internships can typically run from June through mid-August.

Apply Now:

• Spring (Audit): 
• Spring (Tax): 
• Summer (Tax): 

SO MANY more accounting internships and jobs around the country on Handshake: 

Principles of Accounting 1 Supplemental Instructor • Student Success

Accounting Tutor • Accounting Department

Note: Students who work for Student Success can also hold another campus job as long as their hours do not exceed 20 per week in total.

If you are interested in these opportunities, use the contact email listed for more information.

Dr. Stephanie F. Watson, PhD, CPA

Department Chair and Associate Professor

Department of Accounting

51��¥

201 Donaghey COB 204

Conway, AR 72035

Office 501.450.5311

On Monday, November 7, UCA Accounting held its annual networking and fundraiser event attended by 18 UCA accounting students, 4 faculty/staff, and 16 professionals.

Teams included firm representatives and students competed in a bowling tournament, and the highest average score won a donation to the charity of their choice. The Landmark team won, so the Ronald McDonald House will receive a check for $1,000.

Other great teams of the evening included Centennial Bank, Ernst & Young, Forvis, Frost, Garland & Greenwood, HCJ, and Hogan Taylor.

The annual event is a way for accounting students to engage with professionals of the industry in a fun and relaxed setting.

Macy Dillard

For students, VITA is a great opportunity to gain experience and give back to the local Conway community. Led by UCA Accounting Professor Ashley Phillips, the program is open to COB students who would like to volunteer or earn college credit in accounting. VITA volunteers receive training and can either prepare returns or do intake. Experienced CPAs then review each return.

“Taxes are stressful for many people, and by helping through the VITA program, I was able to alleviate a big part of that burden. During review meetings, I could see the gratitude and relief wash over my clients’ faces,” said accounting student Macy Dillard.

Last year, students volunteered approximately 420 hours to return more than $324,000 of taxpayer money to the community through the preparation of over 250 tax returns for low-income taxpayers in the region.

“I am so thankful for the big difference I got to make as just a student for both individuals, their families, and the local community as a whole. It is an amazing feeling to see firsthand how much you are helping someone. On top of that, I got great experience, developed my social skills, and gained volunteer hours,” Dillard added.

To receive college credit, students must register for the course that occurs in spring, complete at least 25 tax returns, complete a total of 80 hours (3 hours per week) at United Way. To find out more, contact Professor Ashley Phillips about how to register for the course in spring 2023.

If you need help preparing your tax return in early 2023, learn more about getting help from .

Independent Financial Advisors is a state registered advisory firm.  We do tax returns for investment clients through a related company. We are looking for a part-time intern (at least 16 hours per week from mid-January to mid-April). There is some flexibility on the days and hours, so they may be able to work around your Spring schedule. The preferred candidate has some tax experience, but that is not required. Pay will be as much as $25 per hour for a candidate with tax experience. This part time work will not lead to a full time position.

To apply: Send your resume to veach@indfinadv.com.  Please indicate “Part Time Help” in the subject line.