FHSU University Relations and Marketing

Starting this fall, students who want to begin earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in general accounting can start their course work through the Fort Hays State University Virtual College.

Fort Hays State will be one of the few state universities to offer a full accounting program online, and one of the first in Kansas.

Nine core business courses and the general education courses for the 124-hour general accounting program are already online, as are three courses in the 18-hour accounting core, said Dr. Dosse Toulaboe, chair of the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting.

The remaining core accounting courses and selected accounting electives will be developed for online delivery during the upcoming academic year, said Toulaboe. In the fall of 2017, the coursework in accounting will be available online.

“We want the content and rigor to be the same on campus and online,” he said.

“Our on-campus accounting programs have earned a reputation for quality with accounting firms and other employers in Kansas and across the nation,” said Dr. Mark Bannister, dean of the College of Business and Entrepreneurship at FHSU. “Our intent is to offer distance learning students a similarly high-quality educational experience.”

Dr. Cole Engel, assistant professor of accounting, said that developing a curriculum for distance learners is challenged by the fact that accounting courses are highly sequential.

“Before you take Intermediate Accounting II, you have to take Intermediate Accounting I, but before intermediate I you have to take Principles of Accounting II,” he said. “And before you take Principles II you have to take Principles I.”

Every course in the accounting core and most courses in the accounting electives have prerequisite courses. “Prerequisites are rigidly enforced,” he said.

The sequence also means that any given course is offered in some semesters and not in others, which is another challenging factor for offering an accounting program online. It also means, Engel said, that “good advising is going to be critical and will require extra training in advising.”

“Accounting is not a program frequently offered online because it is such a challenging program to develop and manage,” he said.

The primary motivation to develop the online accounting program is that, despite the difficulty and complexity of online accounting coursework, demand for accountants is high and will continue to be high for some years to come, said Engel, citing studies by professional accounting organizations.

“There is a huge, documented demand for talented and experienced accounting professionals,” said Engel.

The education in general accounting is for people who are “re-tooling” for career advancement. General accountancy is for people who work for corporations or business and industry groups. Career paths include accounts payable supervisor; bookkeeper; cost accountant; governmental accountant; internal auditor; plant accountant; and staff accountant.

Engel and Toulaboe emphasized that the general accounting program is not for people seeking to be Certified Public Accountants. That is an entirely different track not generally offered online. Engel said CPAs are licensed by the states, and each state has separate educational requirements in addition to the national exam.

Some states, such as Texas, severely limit the amount of online coursework on the transcript of a candidate for CPA licensure. Students seeking licensure are encouraged to contact their state board of accountancy for information on education requirements in their states.

Demand, however, is also high for business and industry accountants, and that is the focus of the general accounting degree program.

For more information, contact Fort Hays State’s Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting at (785) 628-5805 or email [email protected].

FHSU University Relations and Marketing

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center will host its fourth annual Perseid Meteor Shower Viewing Party — a free, fun-filled family evening of crafts, games, snacks and stargazing — at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center, 592 NE K-156 Highway, is at the southeast side of Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, northeast of Great Bend.

Perseid Meteor Shower occurs every year when the earth passes through the trail of dust and debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet. The shower has more than 50 meteors per hour at its peak. The shower got its name because the meteors appear to come from the constellation Perseus.

Children will be provided with activities such as playing with stardust slime, creating their own star art and listening to a tale about Perseus on the star walk. S’mores and refreshments will be available.

In addition to the activities and crafts, the FHSU Science and Mathematics Education Institute will have its inflatable planetarium for guaranteed star-viewing.

Activities will run until the sky is dark enough to see the meteors. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for more comfortable stargazing.

For more information, call the KWEC at 1-877-243-9268.

DCC

RUSSELL–The next exhibitions at the Deines Cultural Center opens Friday, August 5th. Intimate Interactions/Silent Walls features the work of Wichita artist, Corbie Leiker, and Russell photographer, Mike Frost.

Corbie Leiker is originally from Kansas City and now resides in Wichita. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis Drawing and Painting and a minor in Psychology. Her primary medium is charcoal in which she creates large scale charcoal drawings.

Mike Frost, currently living in Russell, was raised in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. Art has always played an important role in his life in various mediums. He has always enjoyed history so it came as no surprise that he pursued photography as his concentration at Kansas State University, He uses film as his process because of its intimacy.

The opening reception for Intimate Interactions/Silent Walls will be held the evening of August 5th 5-7 p.m. and will be on display through September 9th, 2016.

The Deines Cultural Center is located at 820 N. Main Street in Russell. Admission is free and all are welcome. Call (785) 483-3742 for inquiries.

WAKEENEY–Congratulations to the winner of Eagle’s Golden Egg Hunt at the Trego County Fair, Anjie Gideon of WaKeeney!

The egg was located at the South Main Street dead end guardrail, resting in the “W” beam at the third post.

Visit goldenegg.eaglecom.net to view the answers to the clues!