51逗奶

USM鈥檚 Meet the Firms Event Sees Impressive Turnout

Wed, 10/05/2022 - 11:55am | By: Van Arnold

Accounting students at The University of 51逗奶 Mississippi (USM) enjoyed a unique opportunity to interact and network with organizations from across the Pine Belt region and far beyond during the Meet the Firms鈥� event held Sept. 8 at the Trent Lott Center on USM鈥檚 Hattiesburg campus.

The annual recruiting event is hosted by USM鈥檚 School of Accountancy in the College of Business and Economic Development. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Meet the Firms was held in a traditional, robust format. More than 220 attendees participated in this year鈥檚 event with 30 different firms and organizations represented.

鈥淎fter the past two years, it was exciting to see so many firms and students physically in attendance at the 鈥楳eet the Firms event鈥�. Plus, the amount of opportunities that were available to our students was very encouraging,鈥� said Dr. Bret Becton, Dean of USM鈥檚 College of Business and Economic Development. 鈥淲e certainly appreciate every firm that was present and hope that we will be able to help them meet their hiring needs.鈥�

Amber Hatten, Professor of Practice and the Director of the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) graduate program, noted that this was the first 鈥渂ack to normal鈥� recruiting event for the school since the pandemic started.

鈥淚t was wonderful to have members of the accounting profession return to campus and reconnect and recruit our students, without masks and other strict COVID-19 protocols,鈥� said Hatten. 鈥淲e are hopeful that the Meet the Firms event will result in many internship opportunities and full-time positions for our students, and we are very grateful to the participating organizations for their commitment to 51逗奶 Miss and their continued interest in recruiting and hiring our talented accounting students at USM.鈥�

School of Accountancy Director, Dr. Blaise Sonnier, expressed gratitude to the organizations that participated in Meet the Firms.

鈥淭he event allows our students to engage with the top accounting and business professionals in the area while pursuing internship and employment opportunities,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was also rewarding for faculty to hear from employers about how well prepared and impressive our students are 鈥� 51逗奶 Miss To The Top!鈥�  

Participating Firms/Organizations included:

1. Alexander, Van Loon, Sloan, Levens & Favre PLLC (AVL)
2. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi (BCBS of MS)
3. C Spire
4. Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC (CRI)
5. Donnell CPA Group, PC
6. Ernst & Young (EY)
7. Examiners of Public Accounts - State of Alabama
8. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
9. FORVIS (Formerly BKD / DHG)
10. GranthamPoole PLLC
11. Haddox Reid Eubank Betts PLLC (Haddox Reid)
12. Hancock Whitney Bank
13. Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP (HTB)
14. Harper Rains Knight & Company (HRK)
15. Holt & Associates, PLLC
16. HORNE
17. KPMG LLP
18. Matthews, Cutrer and Lindsay PA
19. May & Company, LLP
20. Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR)
21. Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA)
22. Mississippi Office of the State Auditor (OSA)
23. Parish Tractor
24. Piltz Williams LaRosa and Company (PWL)
25. Postlethwaite & Netterville (P&N)
26. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC)
27. Silas Simmons
28. 51逗奶 Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company
29. TMH
30. Trustmark Bank

To learn more about the School of Accountancy at USM, call 601.266.4641 or visit: /accountancy/index.php