Two accounting students among first inducted into new international honor society

May 14, 2015 | News, UToday, Business and Innovation
By Bob Mackowiak



This year the Institute of Management Accountants, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, established its new Accounting Honor Society, designed to support and acknowledge high-performing accounting students attending accredited colleges or universities around the globe.

Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, professor and chair of the Accounting Department, presented an honor society certificate to Rachel Fitzpatrick.

Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, professor and chair of the Accounting Department, presented an honor society certificate to Rachel Fitzpatrick.

Among the first students inducted into the honor society were Rachel Fitzpatrick and Zachary Zavela of The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation.

“I was quite surprised when I first learned that I was nominated for membership in the honor society,” Fitzpatrick said. “I felt honored that Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby (professor and chair of the Accounting Department) chose to nominate me out of many accounting students in the College of Business and Innovation. I have made many sacrifices and put in a lot of hard work to excel in my accounting courses, and I am very grateful to be honored for my achievements.”

Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, professor and chair of the Accounting Department, presented an honor society certificate to Zachary Zavela.

Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, professor and chair of the Accounting Department, presented an honor society certificate to Zachary Zavela.

“I was surprised to have been nominated by Dr. HassabElnaby to join the honor society,” Zavela said, “especially since I did not apply to join. This recognition shows my academic achievements in my undergraduate studies. Because my professional goal is to become either a CFO of a company or make partner at a firm, I believe that this honor will help in achieving that goal.”

He added, “I choose to study accounting because my grandmother is an accountant. When I heard her talk about her work, it seemed very interesting to me.”

Fitzpatrick also sees the benefit of the honor. “My short term goals include earning my CPA certification and gaining some public accounting experience. Afterwards, I would like to pursue a career in health-care financial management. As I transition out of public accounting, the Institute of Management Accountants Honor Society will help me to network and discover career opportunities in the area of management accounting. I can also benefit from the Institute of Management Accountants Honor Society through earning the [certified management accountant] certification, which will set me up for success in management accounting.”

She added, “I chose to study accounting because it is the ‘language of business.’ Accounting knowledge allows you to understand all aspects of business performance and provides valuable information to corporate decision-makers. The field of accounting has a variety of different career paths, and the job demand is always high.”

Fitzpatrick said, “It is an honor to be recognized, and I am thankful for the quality education I have received from the College of Business and Innovation and the Accounting Department here at The University of Toledo.”

The honor society is open to junior and senior students majoring or minoring in accounting, finance or IT with a 3.0 or higher grade point average overall and in accounting. In addition, students must be nominated by a professor or provide proof of meeting eligibility requirements in order to be accepted into the Institute of Management Accountants Honor Society.

The Institute of Management Accountants is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. It has a global network of more than 70,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters.

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