SALISBURY ó Rowan-Cabarrus Community College students returned from Orlando, Fla., with numerous awards ó including first prize in accounting, beating out major four-year university students in competition.
Alan Surratt competed in the ěAccounting Principlesî category and brought home first place at the Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) Awards of Excellence on June 26.
Surratt competed against major university students, such as the University of Pennsylvania and Kansas State University, to win first place and he received an additional monetary award from KPMG, one of the largest accounting firms in the nation.
This event provides recognition for PBL members who have an understanding of the basic principles of accounting and who give evidence of their knowledge in solving practical accounting problems.
Ten students from Rowan-Cabarrus attended the Future Business Leaders of America conference in Orlando earlier this summer. The Rowan-Cabarrus students were among 1,800 of Americaís best and brightest college students to showcase their talents as future business leaders at the conference.
ěHaving one of our students named number one in the nation in accounting is certainly something to be proud of,î said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. ěWe are impressed with the studentsí accomplishments and extremely proud of the faculty who taught and encouraged them to prepare and perform with national excellence. These awards are a testament to the hard work of both our students and faculty.î
Charles ěEricî Susong also received national recognition at the PBL Awards of Excellence. Susong competed in the ěJob Interviewî category and was awarded second place nationally. Participants were required to complete a cover letter, apply for a specific job, submit a resume and participate in a job interview. He also competed in the Human Resource Management competition.
ěIím proud of our students and would encourage all Rowan-Cabarrus students to consider being part of the PBL organization and compete in state and national competitive events,î said Robin Turner, chairwoman of the accounting program at Rowan-Cabarrus, who attended the conference to encourage and support the students competing. Turner was Surrattís primary instructor for accounting and was influential in his success.
ěI couldnít have done it without Mrs. Turner,î said Surratt. ěWhat she taught me in class was both extremely helpful in the competition and directly relevant to real life. Iím proud and grateful to be a Rowan-Cabarrus student.î
ěWhat an honor for Rowan and Cabarrus counties,î said Carl M. Short Jr., chairman of the Rowan-Cabarrus Board of Trustees. ěNot everyone realizes that our students compete with major four year university students at such a high level ó the truth is, we do. The prestigious award of top accounting student in the country is a testament to Rowan-Cabarrus faculty and students.î
Additionally, Kristy Jarrett, president of the RCCC-PBL group, received recognition in ěStatistical Analysis,î winning tenth place nationally. Jarrettís ability to use statistical tools and concepts demonstrated her knowledge of and the ability to apply common techniques and statistical analysis tools.
ěI am so proud of all of our students who competed at the conference,î said Martha Cranford, Rowan-Cabarrus faculty member and chapter adviser.
The students attending the competition were:
Dona Guy, Salisbury (Financial Concepts)
Kristy Jarrett, Salisbury (Economic Analysis and Decision Making)
Benny Lefler, High Rock Lake (Contemporary Sports Issues)
Karen Reynolds, Salisbury (Sales)
Ariel Sledz, Kannapolis (Financial Concepts and Financial Analysis and Decision Making)
Sheri Stocum, Salisbury (Management Concepts)
Alan Surratt, Salisbury (Accounting Principles)
Charles Eric Susong, Salisbury (Job Interview)
Jennifer Wagner, Salisbury (Business Law)
Allyson Wynne, Kannapolis (Financial Analysis and Decision Making and Microeconomics)
Students also attended Leadership Workshops such as Ethical Leadership, Setting Financial Goals, CSI: Accounting, Fundamental Issues of Marketing, Get HIRED, among many others. Students attending at least three workshops received a Leadership certificate.
ěWe have great students at Rowan-Cabarrus and we look forward to bringing home many National Awards in the future,î said Sandra Horne, co-adviser to the group and an adjunct faculty at the college.
The awards were part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to the competitions, students immersed themselves in educational workshops, visited an information-packed exhibit hall, and attended motivational keynotes on a broad range of business topics.
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL), the largest and oldest student business organization.