Accounting Club Spring Social to be held on Friday, April 19

The UAA Accounting Club is hosting a networking event for those interested in accounting and related fields. To learn more, The Northern Light spoke with Accounting Club Vice President Sabrina Kan and Director of Public Relations Jason Ritter.

All University of Alaska students have free entry to the event, which will be catered. There will be a silent auction and opportunities for networking with industry leaders from a wide spectrum of businesses. While not required, students are encouraged to dress in business casual.

“It’s a networking event, so we have different firms [coming], mostly accounting firms,” said Ritter. “We have reps from KPMG, which is one of the Big Four.” He explained that the “Big Four” are the biggest and most reputable global accounting firms.

Non-accounting firms will also be represented with members from companies and organizations such as ConocoPhillips, the IRS and FBI. Kan said that Alaska Native corporations will have a presence as well.

The Accounting Club board is responsible for planning the event, “we all like to pitch in,” said Kan.

Ritter noted that the Accounting Club board consists of himself, Kan and four other people.

The club’s board also ensures that enough funds are raised to pay for the fall and spring socials and smaller events throughout the year. 

“We get funding from different groups … to help pay for it. The Excellence in Accounting fund donates money that we use. That’s a fund run by [the UAA Accounting Department],” said Ritter. He said that UAA’s Club Council has provided funds as well.

Kan said that business firms also donate money to the club.

The pair explained that the accounting club is one of the most popular clubs on campus with around 40 active members. “Historically [pre-pandemic], the Accounting Club was the most active club on campus,” said Ritter.

Students who are not accounting majors are welcome to join the club. Ritter explained that there are opportunities for personal and professional development no matter the field of interest that a student has. “We [do] a lot of work to get really cool speakers to come in,” said Ritter.

“We’re looking for people to join the board, if anyone is interested in learning how to run an organization,” said Ritter. “You don’t need to be an accounting major. It’s fun.”

Students looking for more information about Accounting Club can email uaa_accountingclub@alaska.edu.

Students interested in attending the Spring Social can register here.