EIU Media Relations

Accounting Challenge Expected to Introduce HS/CC Students to EIU

Eastern Illinois University hopes its 2006 Accounting Challenge -- an event featuring both individual and team academic competition for high school and community college students -- will become an annual affair.

"This event is a great opportunity for students to participate in a challenging intellectual exercise, get introduced to the collegiate environment and obtain recognition for their efforts to master the discipline of accounting," said Richard J. Palmer, director of Eastern's accountancy program and professor of business.

Nearly 250 students and instructors from 24 schools in the region are expected to congregate on Eastern's campus on Friday, April 7, to demonstrate their accounting skills by completing a written examination about financial accounting.

The students will compete in either the high school or community college division, depending on the level of accounting instruction they have had or are receiving. The highest scores on the exam will determine individual awards for first- through fifth-place standings in each division, and each winner will receive a plaque recognizing his/her accomplishment. In addition, first-, second- and third-place contestants will receive a $500, $300 and $200 scholarship, respectively, to major in accounting at EIU.

The team component of the challenge invites schools to enter as many teams of three to four students as they'd like. Awards will be given to the schools of the first-, second- and third-place teams, based on the average of the top three individual exam scores.

The top three teams will be invited to the East-West Accounting Challenge, sponsored by the Illinois CPA Society, on April 22 in Springfield . This event will be a test of accounting skills, matching performing teams from the EIU contest with winning teams from a similar contest being held at Western Illinois University .

Participating high schools in EIU's 2006 Accounting Challenge are Arcola, Bismarck-Henning, Champaign Central, Charleston, Clay City, Danville, Fairfield Community, Flora, Hutsonville, Maroa/Forsyth, Marshall, Martinsville, Mattoon, Neoga, Okaw Valley, Paris, Rantoul Township, Teutopolis, Unity, Vandalia and Windsor.

Participating community colleges are Kankakee, Kaskaskia and Parkland.