Accounting is Sexy . . . And Other Back-To-School Story Ideas from USC

This Year’s Hottest Majors

Accounting Finds Strength In Numbers

Accounting — perhaps not always considered the, well, coolest major on campus — is now officially in demand, maybe even hip. Accounting majors jumped 50 percent this year at USC’s Leventhal School of Accounting. More importantly, 75 percent of students graduating from USC Leventhal in spring 2009 had one or more job offers by graduation compared to only 20 percent of all graduating students nationally.

So, is it a stretch to say that accounting is sexy during these tough economic times? “I actually don’t think it’s a stretch. To be really honest, I never thought we weren’t sexy,” USC Leventhal Dean Randy Beatty said recently on American Public Media’s “Marketplace.” “But certainly we’ve gone through periods where we’ve been viewed as more important, and periods in which we’ve been viewed as really a necessary evil.”

To arrange an interview with Randy Beatty, Dean of the USC Leventhal School of Accounting, please contact Evy Jacobson at (213) 740-5552 or evy.jacobson@marshall.usc.edu.

Video Game Careers Looking Bright

A world-class destination for students pursuing a career in video game development, the USC VIterbi School of Engineering doubled the number of computer science majors after introducing a new degree in video game development and management two years ago. An article on CNET called USC an “invaluable source of talent and ideas” for the future of video games, now widely considered another form of media rather than just games for kids.

Already, USC’s interdisciplinary video game programs have produced a bonafide star, Jenova Chen, MFA ’06, named one of the world’s top innovators under 35 by MIT’s Technology Review. Industry heavyweight Electronic Arts and USC have teamed up to create the Game Innovation Lab — a think tank where video game ideas and concepts are nurtured. And this spring, USC Viterbi introduced a new program in which students will work with at-risk LAUSD students to build educational and entertainment video games from scratch.

For more information, contact Eric Mankin at mankin@usc.edu or (213) 821-1887.

Renewed Focus on Aging

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, three of the top ten fastest-growing job markets are in aging services. This fall, USC’s Davis School of Gerontology — the oldest and largest school of gerontology in the country — will welcome the first students for a Master’s in Aging Services. The graduate program combines training in business and leadership with sensitivity to the needs of an older population. (Think: entrepreneurs working on products that are not only easier to use, but also allow for greater long-term independence.)

For more information, contact Maria Henke, Assistant Dean at the USC Davis School of Gerontology, at (213) 740-1364 or mhenke@usc.edu.

College Parents: How To Let Go

Parents have spent the last 18 years preparing their sons and daughters to be responsible, self-reliant individuals, but it can be hard to let go when the time actually comes to send your child to college. Take a deep breath . . . and trust your students, says USC Associate Dean of Student Affairs Amy Johnson.

“Start a dialogue today with your child about how both of you want to communicate when she goes to college,” Johnson says, noting that while a daily phone call may not be realistic for some students, it helps when parents are open to modes of communication such as email, text messaging or once-a-week chats.

By federal law, universities treat students as their primary contacts, and normally don’t share information such as report cards and student bills with families unless the student’s express consent is given. But Johnson says if you have open lines of communication, chances are you’ll get a lot more from your child: “We know from experience that many students call their parents regularly to report progress. When you have good dialogue, sharing this information comes naturally — and it doesn’t require a form.”

To schedule an interview with Amy Johnson, please contact USC Media Relations at (213) 740-2215 or uscnews@usc.edu

Education Gurus Available For Comment

Lawrence Picus, past-president of the American Education Finance Association, is available to discuss how the financial crisis is impacting infrastructure and classroom learning. Picus is professor at the USC Rossier School of Education and may be reached at 818-980-1881 (office), 818-693-1703 (cell) or lpicus@usc.edu.

Priscilla Wohlstetter is an expert on charter schools. Wohlstetter, who is director of the Center on Educational Governance at USC, can give an overview on the growing number of charters and other educational reform movements throughout the country. She may be reached at (626) 437-1989 (cell) or wohlstet@usc.edu.

William Tierney can talk about ways for students to prepare for college. He can provide general tips, as well as advice for students from low-income backgrounds. Tierney has done extensive research into improving financial aid strategies and evaluating college preparation programs for low-income urban youth. Tierney, director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at USC, may be reached at wgtiern@usc.edu or 213-740-7218.

Alicia Dowd, co-director of the Center for Urban Education at USC, can provide tips on how community college students can be better prepared to transfer to four-year universities. She can also provide extensive background on the issue of community college transfer rates. Professor Dowd may be reached at alicia.dowd@usc.edu or 213-821-1803.

Next Class: Mongolia

Summer vacation is overrated. Hundreds of USC students get their first taste of a working research group in the summer after their freshman year. This summer, students are chipping at rock formations in Mongolia, digging up ancient artifacts in Turkey and studying ocean life at USC’s Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island. Others are conducting individual research projects in New York City and Washington, D.C., and hundreds more are working in laboratories at USC in specialties ranging from cancer research to biomedical engineering to communication.

Learn more about USC undergraduate research here or contact Gene Bickers, vice provost for undergraduate programs, at (213) 740-1114 or bickers@usc.edu.