Marietta College Accounting seniors participate in case competition

by Gi Smith

Marietta, OH (10/24/2024) — Marietta College's accounting capstone students recently participated in a nationwide competition sponsored by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA). This annual citizen-centric reporting case competition invites undergraduate students to evaluate the financial reports of government entities, enabling them to create accessible reports tailored for citizens.

This year, the competition focused on the State of Maine. Over the span of 18 days, students meticulously analyzed over 280 pages of financial data, selecting key information to include in their four-page citizen-centric report.

Finalists for the national competition will be announced in early November. Selected teams will advance to the next phase, where they will have the opportunity to revise their reports and record a detailed 20-minute video presentation.

Ethan Brooker '24 (Beverly, Ohio), Logan Burns '24 (Sheffield Lake, Ohio), and Ryan Magill '25 (Lancaster, Ohio) comprised one team, and Anna Allison '24 (Lancaster, Ohio), Laney Carpenter '25 (Cambridge, Ohio), and Jillian White '25 (Beverly, Ohio) comprised the second team.

Local AGA chapter members, including Michael Caplinger, Tammie Johnson, Rita Ledbetter, and Ann Thayer, attended the event to provide insights and feedback on the students' submissions.

Professor Grace Johnson, who leads the Accounting and Public Accounting programs, emphasized the rewarding nature of government accounting careers. ""Whether employed by a city, county, state, or the federal government, our government accounting alumni note that they are proud of the public service role they have in accounting for or auditing the use of taxpayer funds."

Within Marietta's Department of Business and Economics, students can choose to pursue business-focused majors in Accounting, Public Accounting, Economics, Finance, Land and Energy Management, Management, Marketing, and Sport Management.

Marietta's Accounting and Public Accounting graduates are making an impact in organizations such as NASA, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the State of West Virginia, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and locally in Washington County, Ohio.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers more than 50 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major.