Behind The Scenes: The 5 Ws Of Administering A College Of Business Professional Enrichment Program

What can we do as college administrators and faculty to better prepare tomorrows young professionals? How does one create a program to satisfy this objective? This paper will address how the William Paterson University (WPU), Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business (CCOB) created a unique and innovative program designed to enhance a students education by offering workshops and seminars focused on career development, ethics, leadership and numerous other life skills. The who, what, where, how, when and why of administering this program will be provided. Particular emphasis will be placed on the numerous goals and hurdles in a college setting such as: community and alumni involvement; reporting requirements (attendance and assessment); budget concerns; student awareness; advertising; and faculty support

Professional Enrichment And Experiential Learning For Business Students

College faculty members are faced with continuous challenges each day.  The communication of knowledge and motivation and participation of students remains a goal of all. This paper discusses these issues and reports on the progress of one business college’s efforts for continuous improvement. At the William Paterson University, Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business we recently implemented a new professional enrichment program designed to enhance a student’s college education with active learning activities inside and outside the classroom. The active learning approach emphasizes the students' role in constructing knowledge by engaging in inquiry, critical thinking, and problem solving in a collaborative framework. Specific program examples are presented

Social Security: Personal Investment Accounts (PIAS)

Today, the Social Security payroll tax is the largest tax that the average American family pays.  Social Security is also the largest government program in the United States, with almost half of all government receipts going to pay for Social Security. Concerns about the long-term solvency of Social Security have produced numerous options for Social security reform.  Among the more interesting proposals was that made by President Bush that would allow individuals to manager their own private investment accounts (PIAs).  In this paper, we examine the potential effects of PIAs be ones age and gender.  We also examine the tax consequences of the proposed PIAs and other potential concerns of PIAs. &nbsp

Poverty In The United States: A Continuing And Growing Problem

In recent years, the ability to deal with the problem of poverty in the US, in light of the new “Federalism,” is an area of interest to scholars. The poverty rate over the past 50 years has fluctuated from a high of 22.4% in 1959 to a low of 11.1% in 1973. Under George Bush’s presidency, we again see an increase in the poverty rate to 12.7% in 2004. This paper provides an overview of poverty data for the 21st century, by region, race and age.  A discussion and comparison of median household income follows. Facts and figures are then provided/compared, tying in health care issues to income levels and citizenship/ethnicity. A brief introduction of the various attempts over the past years by the federal government to reduce the proportion of the American population that falls below the poverty line follows.  This section merely provides a listing of programs designed to satisfy social and equity considerations.  This paper does not provide the reader with the impact of these programs on the economy; a brief mention is provided to generate further thought and discussion.  The paper concludes with a summary of key elements of the above issues. The sole purpose is to provide an overview of historical data as concerns poverty, median household income and health insurance coverage. The ability to deal with the problem of poverty in the U S, is left for another paper

The Jock Tax Contest: Professional Athletes Vs. The States - Background And Current Developments

Opening day of the Major League Baseball?s 2002 season fell on April 1 of that year. After the National Anthem was sung, the crowd applauded as the New York Mets took the field, and the umpire yelled, “play ball.” The State of New York also cheered. Why? New York, like a number of other states and localities, imposes an income tax on athletes that visit its borders. So, when Tex- as Rangers shortstop, Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid baseball player during the 2002 season with a salary of $22 million, played 4 regular season games in the Big Apple, he incurred a tax liability of approximately$34,250. This state income taxation of nonresident professional athletes is commonly referred to as “the jock tax.” This paper introduces the reader to the jock tax beginning with a brief explanation of state income taxes, continuing with a discussion of its complexi- ties and historical/current issues faced by athletes, teams and the states through implementation of the tax. The paper concludes with the broader implications of a state or local taxing jurisdiction's powers to tax its nonresident visitors.

CSI Accounting: A New Trend In Educational Training

Recently, members of the Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business, Department of Accounting and Law, have been approached by IRS and accounting practitioners concerning the addition of fraud and forensic accounting courses to the curriculum.  This seems to be a new trend in expanding the education and training of accounting majors as evidenced by a U.S. Department of Justice, NIJ Special Report titled, “Education and Training in Fraud and Forensic Accounting: A Guide for Educational Institutions, Stakeholder Organizations, faculty and Students.” The December 20, 2005 Draft Report provides that as a result of recent corporate scandals, there has been a substantial increase in both legal and regulatory requirements. “These requirements address internal controls for detecting and deterring fraud and encourage financial statement auditors to be more aggressive in searching for fraud.” Students desirous of becoming “CSI Accountants” are in need of a better understanding surrounding the field and the knowledge and skills required to succeed.  This paper will begin with a brief mention of various financial scandals and certain regulatory requirements which followed.  The motivation for a need for this new educational training will then be reviewed along with the problems faced by institutions of higher education when adding new courses and changing current curriculum. Finally, a brief overview of the contents of the NIJ Report will be made

Our 25+ Year Journey To AACSB Accreditation

How does a publicly supported university with a primary focus on teaching, achieve accreditation from the premier agency and service organization for business schools all over the world, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)? Our journey began in 1978 when a college department hired a Dean, became a separate business school and had a vision to become a successful leader in business education. Our goal was achieved and culminated on January 7, 2005 with the accreditation of our undergraduate and graduate business programs. The who, what, where, when and why of our 25+ year journey will be provided. Particular emphasis will be placed on our numerous hurdles and how the goal was achieved such as funding availability; curriculum reform; raising publication rates, and why it took so long to get accredited