ANALYTICS PROGRAM PREPS ACCOUNTANCY FOR BIG DATA
In 2017, Mizzou was one of nine schools nationwide selected to join the KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics (MADA) Program, an initiative that prepares accounting students for the world of big data. The program sponsors selected students by providing full tuition, KPMG internships and job offers upon graduation. But even as the initiative concludes its third and final year, faculty at the Trulaske College of Business feel this is only the beginning of an exciting new direction for analytics curricula. “The KPGM program has been an accelera-
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BLAZING A PATH FOR NEURODIVERSE ENTREPRENEURS
The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is Trulaske’s promoter of entrepreneurial knowledge, specifically for students who might not automatically consider the prospect of owning their own business. One area of focus is neurodiverse students, such as those with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia. Center Director Annette Kendall believes not only that entrepreneurship is an option for these students but that their conditions might also make them well suited to it. That’s why the center is tailoring programming and research to make college graduation more accessible to these students. “People with ADHD are hyperactive. They move fast. Some people with dyslexia are better at visualizing the big picture. Students on the autism spectrum, who are socially detached, are less likely to be influenced by dominant ideas,” Kendall says. “These students have gone through life like they have a checklist of deficits. But in the context of entrepreneurship, they are strengths.”
tor,” says Vairam Arunachalam, director of the School of Accountancy. “We already had a great foundation. Now we have a stronger curriculum in place and can offer it beyond the MADA program.” This includes certification in accounting data analytics not only for graduate students but also for working professionals who want to enroll part time. “It’s going to be a gamechanger,” Arunachalam says. “It’s absolutely critical to our success and that of our graduates. With this knowledge, they will be better prepared for the accounting jobs of the future.”
IT PAYS TO BE KIND
For Bailey Stamp, kindness is its own reward. So, when the member of Trulaske’s Heartland Scholars Academy helped fellow students grieve for a member who died unexpectedly, she wasn’t hoping for anything in return. That altruistic spirit was all the more reason Stamp was the first recipient of the business school’s Roth Kindness Scholarship. “My hope is that if students can learn the importance of kindness before they head out into the world, they’ll be more successful,” says Leslie Guyor, BS BA ’90, whose gift founded what she hopes will be an annual scholarship. “And the world will become a friendlier, happier place.” Stamp was happy to receive the $1,000 award, and she intends to pay it forward. “It’s not hard to be kind,” Stamp says. “It doesn’t cost you anything. And people notice when you’re doing kind things.” FALL 2021 67
