Accounting Advancement Center

The purpose of the Accounting Advancement Center (AAC) is to provide an important complementary component to students’ curricular education in the accounting field.  The AAC is designed to enhance students’ educational experience and career prospects by developing a vital partnership between SJSU’s Lucas College and Graduate School of Business (LCoB) and accounting firms in the Bay Area. 

The mission of the AAC is to offer a high-value quality education to our students through engagement with faculty members and accounting professionals.  The mission is accomplished by focusing on three goals.  The first goal is to create a link between SJSU students and the accounting profession.  By promoting professional development events, the AAC would provide students with opportunities to interact with professionals.  These professional meetings are aimed at enhancing students’ understanding of careers available in the accounting profession and developing fundamental leadership skills.  Therefore, such events would represent an experiential learning complement to the classroom experience. 

The second goal of the AAC is to provide value to the college and university by enhancing the students’ knowledge of accounting topics.  The AAC intends to sponsor presentations and lectures about topics related to current accounting issues.  This type of educational experience would complement and enhance the curriculum covered in the financial, managerial, auditing, and taxation courses. 

Lastly, the AAC plans to reward excellence among students and faculty members by providing financial support through scholarships and grants for research and curriculum development.  Thanks to the financial support offered by sponsoring firms, talented students, who display a strong academic performance, leadership skills and an interest in pursuing a career in the accounting profession, would receive prestigious and financially significant scholarships.  Additionally, the AAC intends to promote applied research on topics related to accounting and innovative accounting curricular development.  Research grants would be awarded based on academic rigor and publication in peer-reviewed journals.  Curriculum development grants would be awarded based on need due to changes in licensure requirements or accounting standards.  The amount of scholarships and grants will be dependent on the degree of financial commitment of sponsoring institutions and the long-term financial stability of the AAC.