UK Accountancy Asks Students, 'Are You H.I.P.?'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 8, 2010) − Manipulation of balance sheets, misrepresenting the bottom line, corporate scandals -- Plenty of this sort of news has been reported by various media outlets over the past several decades. With proactive education in mind, the Von Allmen School of Accountancy at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics is hosting its first-ever H.I.P. (Honesty, Integrity, and Professionalism in Accountancy) Conference on Oct. 28 and 29. The conference will take place on the UK campus and is open to all junior, senior, and graduate accounting students, as well as MBA students.

The opening night  event includes a showing of "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," which will be held in the UK Student Center's Worsham Theater.  The following day, students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of sessions, including a a keynote address by Sam Antar, a convicted felon, former Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and former chief financial officer of Crazy Eddie, Inc.

During the 1980s, Antar helped the co-founders of Crazy Eddie, Inc., his cousin Eddie Antar and his uncle, Sam M. Antar, plan one of the largest securities frauds of that time. It cost investors and creditors hundreds of millions of dollars.  Antar served as the government's key witness in both the criminal and civil prosecutions. Today, Antar advises law enforcement, government entities, professionals and businesses about white-collar crime, and how to detect and catch criminals.  His objective is to educate society, so that it can avoid future perils caused by new generations of criminals.

"I don't want to be held up on the pedestal of redemption," said Antar. "I would rather people learn from my vile, ugly, and vicious crimes. It is most important that they understand the ugly nature of criminality. My life is a mistake of history."

During the conference, Antar will give three presentations followed by question and answer sessions. All of his presentations will take place in the Center Theater of the Student Center.

In addition to hearing Antar's talks, students can attend a variety of presentations in the Gatton College of Business and Economics building.  While the list of speakers continues to grow, the tentative schedule already includes the following:

   - Forensic Accounting, led by UK Associate Professor of Accountancy Jeff Payne;

   - WorldCom's Collapse, led by professionals from Ernst & Young;

   - "Cooking the Books," a 60-minute video focusing on what every accountant should know about fraud through the eyes of Barry Minkow;

   - Importance of Honesty, Integrity, and Professionalism Discussion Panels, consisting of one representative from each: Deloitte, Mountjoy Chilton Medley, Dean Dorton Ford, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Crowe Horwath, and KPMG;

   - Impact of Enron, led by Dave Calzi of Ernst & Young; Steve McKinley of Deloitte; and, Monika Causholli of UK's Von Allmen School of Accountancy;

   - Professional Regulation Through Licensing, led by John Hawkins of Deloitte; and,

   - Global and Cultural Perspectives that Impact Honesty, Integrity, and Professionalism, led by Ritu Furlan of Ernst & Young and Mitsuyasu Hoshino of KPMG.

"We believe it is very important to remind our students that the essence of the accounting profession can be summed up in these three words: Honesty, Integrity, and Professionalism," said Dave Ziebart, professor and director of the Von Allmen School.

The H.I.P. Conference is sponsored by Crowe Horwath, Dean Dorton Ford, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Mountjoy Chilton Medley, Papa John's, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

A snack break will be provided by Crowe Horwath, Mountjoy Chilton Medley, and Dean Dorton Ford. Also, a pizza lunch is being provided by Papa John's in cooperation with UK's Master of Science in Accounting (MSACC) program and the Von Allmen School.  Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, and KPMG will provide drinks and desserts.

Conference admission is free, however, students are asked to register in advance. For more information about the two-day H.I.P. Conference, contact Professor Ziebart via e-mail at: dave.ziebart@uky.edu, or, call Carrie Hays at (859) 257-1251.

There has been plenty of good news recently for UK and its accounting students. Students in the Von Allmen School's Master of Science in Accountancy (MSACC) program continue to post very high rates of success on the national CPA exam. And, Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), the national honorary for financial information students and professionals, has once again awarded the UK Chapter 'superior chapter' status, the highest recognition which can be bestowed.

Von Allmen School faculty member Jennifer Siebenthaler, who serves as adviser to the UK Chapter of BAP, credits the group's success to the hard work of the students and the strong tradition established by her faculty predecessors. "I really want to thank Sean Peffer (Chellgren Endowed Associate Professor of Accountancy) for all that he did for the chapter during his term as adviser," said Siebenthaler.