2 minute read
Figure It Out!
Dr. Vicky Eidson, CPA, CMA teaches introductory through advanced accounting classes. She is a registeredCertified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Management Accountant(CMA). Eidson started teaching at Quincy University in 2005. Before coming to QU, Eidson taught at Culver- Stockton College and was a CPA at Gray Hunter Stenn, LLP. Eidson was named a 2016 OutstandingEducator by the Illinois CPA Society in recognition for her significant contributions to accounting education in Illinois through leadership, teaching, excellence, and active involvement in the accounting profession.
My advice:
• You are capable of figuring it out.
• Make the world better for others.
• Go re-read QU’s mission and evaluate how your life reflects it.
• Share your experiences with your past professors. We love to hear!
Growing up on a farm taught Vicky Eidson the importance of two things: don’t give up and figure it out.
“Farmers simply figure it out. Regardless of their educational background, they are called upon to be mechanics, horticulturalists, business people, commodity traders, chemists, and animal scientists, to name a few,” said Eidson. “They read about it, find expert advice, create something that may or may not work and implement their solution. They are truly lifelong learners.”
She encourages her students to live by the same philosophy.
It’s important to her that students understand that they are capable of figuring things out. Students will have to be able to adapt as some whole industries and categories of work disappear, and new ones emerge. If students can embrace the practice of continually learning new things, it will help them to seize new opportunities and not get stuck in the obsolete.
Eidson partners with the local community by volunteering her time and accounting expertise. She currently serves on the audit committee for a local non-profit enterprise and is a member of Rotary International Service Organization.
“It’s rewarding to volunteer in an area that I’m an expert in,” said Eidson.
She advises her students to volunteer in the same way. She challenges them to discover what they are passionate about and acknowledge the many people who have made life better for them. She feels the coursework in accounting, and other classes, helps students think more critically. Students gain a deeper appreciation of what they have been given and hopefully they will want to make the world better for others. Even if it’s not a day-to-day business, the material a student learns in an accounting class may be able to be used in volunteer work.
“I tell students on their first day of class for financial accounting, I hope someday they volunteer and sit on a school board, church board, or a boy scout board,” said Eidson. “They will be handed a financial statement and need to know how to read it and understand what it means.”
A liberal arts education helps students link their deepest values to their skills and work, which builds a just and sustainable world.
Students are able to experience that connection before they graduate from QU. The QU School of Business has a great relationship with the community, primarily through internships. The local businesses employ students, and in turn, students serve a beneficial role in area business. For example, during tax season the local CPA firms utilize QU students. Through these opportunities, students gain practical experience and help the firms with short-term hire positions.
Eidson maintains a Facebook group for QU accounting graduates. This group offers alumni a way to connect and network. Eidson also shares when one of the group members pass their CPA exam. This is an accomplishment she feels should be shared by all.
