Carson Swinford Government Accounting Scholarship
Overview
The Tennessee Government Finance Officers Association (TGFOA) offers a scholarship program in the amount of $1,000 to undergraduate or graduate students seeking a career in government finance, accounting or a related area. In financial training, accounting is perceived to be one of the basic building blocks for such a career. For that reason, the TGFOA is pleased to support students that have chosen to major in finance, accounting or a related area. While public finance is broadly based and involves multiple disciplines, a fundamental knowledge of accounting is essential. Because of the differences in governmental and private sector accounting, students require additional coursework to become familiar with fund accounting and issues involving the framework for reporting governmental activities.
Purpose of scholarship
The goal of the scholarship program is to serve as a gateway to a paid internship in local public finance. By expanding the pool of quality, entry-level candidates for local and state financial management positions, governments, utilities and school districts will be able to draw upon a larger and better- qualified roster of potential candidates for open positions. Participating students will graduate in a better position to compete for public sector jobs and have a better understanding of the differences in private sector and governmental/non-profit accounting.
Timing of scholarship
Most accounting programs, at Board of Regents four-year colleges and the community college programs which include transferrable credits to four-year colleges, provide excellent training in basic and intermediate accounting, cost and managerial accounting, and a variety of other accounting topics.
Government accounting, however, is typically an elective within the track of courses for accounting majors. TGFOA desires to promote the study of government accounting by providing funding during the semester that students elect to take government accounting courses. This is typically in the junior or senior year.
Selection Criteria
The primary criteria for scholarship selection are rising senior undergraduates (or juniors who elect to take governmental accounting) and graduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in public finance, preferably at the local or state level. Preference will be given to those candidates who have solicited arrangements for internships following the semester in which the governmental accounting course is taken.
