ISSUE 07

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A semester in England >

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HELPFUL LINKS Department of Accounting and Business > Alumni > Contact Us > Manchester College Home > Nexus newsletter is compiled by Doug Murphy, Accounting and Business Club publications assistant © Copyright 2011 Manchester College Print this newsletter

At the airport terminal, I was filled with excitement and anxiety as I waved goodbye to my family and all things familiar for the opportunity to study in England for a semester.  I knew it was going to be a change from my life at Manchester College, but I did not realize how different it would actually be.

Kristen Bowen

The courses I took while I was in England taught me how to succeed in an unstructured environment with ambiguous direction.  The syllabus handed out on the first day of class was quite different from what I was used to; due dates and acceptable writing topics were the only guidelines available.  Professors did not list office hours, and they did not know students’ names.  I still made a point to clarify any questions I had by setting up appointments to meet with professors, but ended up with more questions than answers.  This forced me to develop a different approach to learning, and upon my return to the U.S., I found this knowledge extremely useful during my summer internship when I was given writing assignments with little direction or specifications.

I lived in a flat with eight other British students who grew up in a culture that was similar to yet still quite different from my own.  The first and most apparent difference was the dissimilarity between British and American words and phrases.  Another striking difference between our cultures was my flat-mates’ blunt and sarcastic, but endearing, humor.  This helped me realize the necessity of learning cultural characteristics before meeting with people of other cultures and how to graciously deal with any misunderstandings caused by cultural gaps.  The structure, experiences, requirements, and opportunities that I was exposed to in England have helped me succeed in my courses and internships and will assist me in my future career.

As sad as I was to leave England and its rich history, I was ready to come back to Manchester College where we drive on the right side of the road.

During January session, a group of 10 Manchester students traveled with Professor Joe Messer's International Distribution class to Australia. Over a two-week period, students experienced everything from a play in the Sydney Opera House to tennis at the Australian Open in Melbourne. They also visited prominent businesses such as Burson-Marsteller, Ball Horticultural Company, and Norwood Industries. Students journalized their daily events and were expected to create a video documenting their trip.

While more condensed than a semester abroad, trips such as this provide great opportunities for students to get out of their comfort zones and learn about life in different cultures. <back to top>

Over the past few years, the Accounting and Business Club has gone through some significant changes, creating a number of new leadership and networking opportunities for students in the department. The club has established many new committees to assist the Executive Cabinet in handling the everyday responsibilities of the club. Some of the tasks performed by the new committees include planning social events, marketing to members and alumni, scheduling speakers for educational events, and reaching out to provide service to the community. A professional development committee was also established to assist younger students in developing stronger résumés and cover letters. This puts many of the responsibilities of the club within the hands of its members.

The Accounting and Business Club has also developed on-campus field trips each semester to replace the monthly evening meetings, giving students insight into careers in accounting and business. In the fall, the department had a young alumni panel discuss a wide range of issues including job prospects, what to anticipate in interviews, and what employers expect from their new employees. Approximately 180 students attended this event, a testament to how significantly the club has grown in the last two years. Events such as on-campus field trips provide students with great opportunities to network with prospective employers while learning pertinent information about careers in the fields of accounting and business. The evolution of the ABC has helped create many new opportunities for students that supplement their classroom experiences. <back to top>

Stephen De Pue ’71 of Goshen, Ind., is the vice president of financial management at Kolb & Associates, Ltd.
Bari Faudree ’77 is the director for technology and risk consulting at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Indianapolis.
Mark Stockslager ’82 is the CFO at SunLink Health Systems, Inc., in Georgia.
James Auker ’87 from Elkhart, Ind., is the plant controller at Well Pet.
Susan Westfall-Kile ’91 resides in Grove City, Ohio, where she works at Mount Carmel Health System.
Joe Kiefer ’93 recently joined Elkhart Brass as the vice president of finance and administration.
Lori Peffer ’93 is an audit manager at Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC in Nashville, Tenn.
Shawn Sollenberger ’00 is an audit manager for Baden, Gage & Shroeder in Fort Wayne.
Jeff Hartzel ’02 of McCordsville, Ind., is employed by Sarcom as an enterprise account manager.
Tammy Stouffer ’05 is an audit manager for Crowe Horwath, LLP in Indianapolis. <back to top>

Please take this opportunity to update your profile, and share your news with alumni and friends of the department. In addition, please indicate your interest in participating with the College in other ways. (If you have already expressed your interests, there is no need to respond again unless your preferences have changed).

To contact us, e-mail Tim Ogden at taogden@manchester.edu.

Visit us on the web at www.manchester.edu.

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