Exciting news from the NHCC accounting department! Recently they were awarded a Deloitte Foundation* Local Impact Grant to support NHCC modifying its existing Accounting Technology AAS two-year degree program to incorporate an experiential learning component designed to introduce students to the possibilities of an accounting career.
It was the summer of 2023, when NHCC’s Interim Foundation Director, Laura Brandt first heard about the Deloitte Foundation grant and connected with the NHCC accounting department about it. The grant provides funding to support curriculum development and creation of an experiential learning component to provide skill-building opportunities towards an accounting career.
On February 26th, the accounting department hosted a focus group luncheon; inviting local industry partners to share updates, gather information and prepare for the upcoming AAS degree changes and program modifications. (Pictured above at the luncheon, from left to right: NHCC Accounting faculty, Cody Schniepp, with local industry partners, Janet McCoy, Regional Director at Robert Half, Mary Kimball, Volunteer Resources Coordinator at Prepare + Prosper and NHCC Accounting faculty, Therese Rice). NHCC’s accounting department has completed their degree modification paperwork, with a meeting to gain approval from the Academic Affairs and Standards Council (AASC) in May. NHCC is hopeful the modified AAS degree will go live in the summer of 2025.
The NHCC accounting department is comprised of three faculty; Sandy Copa, Therese Rice, and Cody Schniepp. Each member believes students can benefit from gaining relevant career exposure and employment skills. If the Accounting Technology AAS degree modifications pass, our new accounting offerings would include an Employment Skills class followed by an Internship class.
It is common to find students with work experience, but especially uncommon to find students with work experience in an accounting field. The new curriculum developed as a result of this degree modification could be very beneficial to students.
Having relevant exposure to careers in accounting can be transformative for students. For example, not every accounting student needs to become a CPA, but having tax skills is valuable long-term knowledge for students to have, even if they may not want to go into a tax career. By including hands-on experiential learning components, students can discover accounting careers and industry roles that appeal to them, before finishing their degree!
*Learn more about the Deloitte Foundation.