High school students come to UT COBI for Accounting Career Day; COBI students learn from sponsor of the Alan Barry Accounting Lab

The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation hosted The Ohio Society of CPAs Accounting Career Day on October 28.

Students from throughout Northwest Ohio learned about opportunities in accounting; what they can do with an accounting degree; what it really means to be a CPA; heard college accounting majors about a day in the life of a college accounting student; and heard several professional accountants discuss their work experiences and more.

The day before the high school program, COBI students had the opportunity to learn from Alan Barry, who spoke with accounting students in their classroom.  Barry is a UT COBI alum and donor who made the Alan Barry Accounting Lab possible. Barry was the former president and chief operating officer of Masco Corporation, retiring in 2008 after more than 35 years with the company.

"As an accounting grad, it's always nice to look for ways to help students who are like I was," Mr. Barry said. "This Lab is something that will be used by many students, and because I was already involved with the College of Business, it just made sense to support it."

"The Alan Barry Accounting Lab is one of the things that we can do for business students that is not done elsewhere," COBI Dean Gary Insch said. "We are a business school, and we have business professionals who can help us. Furthermore, the establishment of the Lab again demonstrates the College's continuing vibrant relationship with the regional business community."

"The purpose of the Alan Barry Accounting Lab is to enhance the accounting students' learning experience and also to provide a wide array of services to both accounting students and area residents," noted Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, chair, COBI department of accounting.

"For students, the Lab provides one-on-one tutoring services, assistance with writing projects, and the most advanced accounting simulation software to help students improve their understanding of important accounting concepts," HassabElnaby explained. "It holds the review material for the very important and demanding certified public accountant (CPA) exam, and is a resource for COBI accounting professional organizations, such as Beta Alpha Psi."