Voices

Cal State, Northridge Keeps it Close to Home

Cal State University, Northridge has some hometown loyalty when it comes to the area of accounting.

Seventy percent of the college’s graduates work within 50 miles of their alma mater and 40 percent of regional firms are run by managing partners who received their accounting degrees at Northridge.

According to an article in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, over the past 30 years the university has worked hard to build a national reputation for turning out top-notch accounting students. As a result, all of the Big Four accounting firms maintain continuous recruitment programs on campus.

Ernst & Young took it a step further and donated enough money to the university’s College of Business and Economics to support (and have named for the firm) a new career center.
The career center, however, according to university staff, is used by all of the Big Four and other firms from across the country.

Each year, the college hosts a black tie networking event where students are recruited by local and national firms. It draws accounting alumni back to provide comfort and support to the soon-to-be graduates.

“The alumni help provide a nice experience for the students,” said Matt Rinnert, director of development at the College of Business and Economics. “They know how the students feel, because they went through the same experience.”

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