Business majors at Temple will be interacting with area accounting professionals in a decidedly different fashion on September 28.
They'll be networking on the run.
The Ambler Campus Accounting Professional Society will host the first "CPA Dash" on Sunday, September 28, beginning at 11 a.m. Teams will meet in Bright Hall Lounge and then head out to the Loop Road on campus. The CPA Dash is "a networking team-based relay event with a dress code," said Accounting Professional Society President Jere Ritchie.
"A lot of organizations do 5K runs. We started thinking about how we could differentiate that a little more — combine running with accounting and make it fun and unique," said Ritchie, 27, who served as an Army Specialist with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, prior to coming to Temple. "While I was in the Army, I was involved in a lot of programs that were a mix of physical and technical competencies. I thought that would translate well for a college campus."
According to Ritchie, the CPA Dash invites business majors to show off their accounting skills as members of four-person teams in challenges such as competitive tie tying, a short run and solving a brief accounting problem.
"The tie basically acts as the baton for the relay — whether they are able to tie it in a timely fashion and make it look presentable will be at the judge's discretion," he said with a laugh. "After getting their tie in place and doing their part of the run, each team member will complete a section of a multi-part accounting cycle — each consecutive runner will have to build on the previous runner's work to complete the cycle. It promotes team building — everyone will have to hustle while also making sure they are as accurate as possible. Time penalties will be incurred for incorrect answers."
The event will also include food, music and prizes such Amazon gift cards, Fox School of Business laptop bags and more.
Business professionals from area firms from such as Deloitte, Surgent Kolar, WeiserMazars, Radnor Financial Advisors and SEIC (SEI Investments Company) will be on hand to help judge and participate in the CPA Dash, Ritchie said.
"We fully expect them to be out there with teams as well. The goal of the Accounting Professional Society is to get professionals and students together in a small, friendly environment that promotes meaningful engagement," he said. "We want to help enhance the business student community at Temple Ambler — there are a lot of traditional and non-traditional students looking for these types of informal networking opportunities. We hope everyone comes out and has a great experience."
For more information on the CPA Dash or to sign up as a team or an individual (you will become part of a team at the event), contact Jere Ritchie at jere.ritchie@temple.edu.