New York, New York (PRWEB) January 07, 2014
Over 150 high-achieving, ethnically diverse students from across 64 US campuses will convene for Ernst & Young LLP’s eighth annual Discover EY event on Jan. 8-10 in New York City. The event will help participants realize their leadership potential and explore career opportunities at EY.
Parallel to this event, the firm will also host its sixth annual Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Roundtable. The Roundtable will bring together 25 university faculty and administrators from over 20 top undergraduate business programs across the US to discuss how to best attract, retain, and develop top under-represented minority students in business and technology schools.
Both Discover EY and the Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Roundtable events are designed to address the underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans in professional services. EY Global Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger will address the students at Discover EY, providing a high-level overview of his professional path as well as advice for students who will soon embark on their own career journey. Mr. Weinberger’s remarks will be followed by an open Q&A with the student attendees.
According to the 2013 AICPA Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits, students of the following ethnicities were enrolled in B.A. programs in accounting from 2011-2012: 67% white, 9.3% Asian/Pacific Islander, 8.4% Hispanic/Latino, 7.2% black/African American, and 0.4% American Indian/Alaskan Native. Discover EY and The Campus Diversity Roundtable aim to develop more diverse talent so that these percentages will continue to climb.
Discover EY
The three-day, all expense-paid, Discover EY event will invite participating college students to take part in interactive team-building exercises, leadership seminars, networking opportunities and conversations with EY’s top leaders, including Mr. Weinberger. The attendees, who are primarily college sophomores and juniors, will be eligible to interview for internships with Ernst & Young LLP following the conference.
Due in part to the continued success and expansion of this program since it launched in 2007, minorities now represent 36% of Ernst & Young LLP’s total full-time professionals coming from campuses in the US. To date, the program has reached over 600 students and has expanded its scope beyond its initial foundation called Discover Tax, which focused solely on the firm’s tax practice, which Mr. Weinberger led before becoming CEO of the EY Global organization in July 2013.
“Discover EY is one of the many ways we seek to raise awareness of the accounting and finance profession and open doors for high-achieving talent,” said Nancy Altobello, EY Americas Vice Chair, Talent. “We are seeing a tremendous demand for top talent to serve our clients and our communities. This year we will hire and develop nearly 12,000 people in the US to do just that. Whether they commit to careers at EY or leave to lead teams in the broader business community, they will succeed because of the strong foundation and development they experienced at EY, fulfilling our ultimate purpose, to build a better working world.”
Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Roundtable
Ernst & Young LLP’s annual Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Roundtable will convene college and business leaders to learn about innovative ways to drive diversity and inclusiveness at their respective organizations. One such program that stemmed from the Roundtable hails from Cornell University where the Cornell Men of Color seminar was instituted. This Cornell course covers networking, developing leadership presence, and explores the impact stereotypes threaten in the workplace. In addition, participants will take part in a learning session focused on best practices to help top under-represented minority students graduate. Attendees will also hear from EY leadership on the business imperative for diversity at their institutions.
“The Roundtable creates a forum where administrators of leading business programs can share best practices and learn from specific case studies where schools and companies have effectively attracted, retained and developed diverse talent,” said Ken Bouyer, EY Americas Director of Inclusiveness Recruiting. “To help students and companies be successful in the global marketplace, it is imperative that colleges and universities focus on core concepts like diversity and inclusiveness. It has a ripple effect not only in their school, but in the broader business community including diversity of senior leadership and corporate boards.”
-ends-
About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.
EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member of the global EY organization that provides services to clients in the US.