The excitement in the Castellani Art Museum was palpable. The front lobby was filled with more than 30 companies, each intent on scouting potential job candidates. The Meet the Accounting and Finance Professionals event that took place Tuesday was loud, energetic and exactly what Niagara University is all about: professionalism.
Students were dressed in their professional business attire looking as if though they could take on the real world.
“The level of professionalism at NU exceeds all other colleges around the area,” said Jacob D. LaLiberty, a financial professional with Prudential. “The programs they have implemented at the university are second to none.” LaLiberty, a recent MBA graduate of Niagara University, has been attending these events for a few years.
Chiampou Travis Besaw & Kershner LLP is a Western New York firm founded in 1994 that has been coming to these events at Niagara since they were founded. Kelly G. Besaw, ’83, is a co-founder of the firm who said he’s been coming to these events even before he started his own company.
“We come here because Niagara produces quality students and every year we have hired at least one student; nowadays, it’s multiple students,” noted Besaw. “The students usually come to us pretty well-grounded and they come to us with experience.”
Several other representatives from various companies also said how the professionalism and real-world experience of Niagara students is something that has noticeably set them apart.
Hosted by Career Services, the College of Business Administration, NU’s Accounting Society, the Beta Alpha Psi honor society and NU_Finance, Meet the Accounting and Finance Professionals Night was sponsored this year by Chiampou Travis Besaw & Kershner LLP, Freed Maxick CPAs PC, GEICO, Mass Mutual and The Legend Group.
Additional opportunities for students to be exposed to real-world experience can be found by contacting Niagara University’s Career Services Office at 716.286.8500 or ude.aragain@sreerac.
Article by James Burns, a sophomore Academic Exploration Program student. Photos by Jacquie DellaNeve, a junior communication studies major.