Southwest Baptist University News Release
Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Southwest Baptist University Accounting Department announces the development of a new major, Accounting and Information Assurance (AIA), effective with the 2011-2012 academic year. This new major is the only undergraduate major in the State of Missouri with a balanced emphasis in traditional accounting theories and practices and core concepts of information assurance.
The additional courses in information assurance focus on assuring that organizational information that is assembled, accessed, digitally stored, and electronically delivered is secure and reliable. Some of the courses in the AIA major include Systems Analysis and Design, Database Management, Principles of Information Assurance, and Digital Forensics.
Wayne Clark, CPA and chair of the SBU accounting department, referred to recent studies indicating the importance for accounting professionals to have relevant training in information technology and data security: “According to a 2011 survey from Robert Half Finance and Accounting, 27% of Chief Financial Officers said software/technology knowledge is the second highest trait they look for in a candidate. Additionally, a Deloitte LLP whitepaper focusing on the role of internal auditors found that 90% of audit committee members surveyed felt internal auditors should have increased IT skills/knowledge by 2015.”
Dr. Tim DeClue, chair of the award-winning SBU Computer and Information Sciences Department that teaches the Information Assurance courses, commented that “any discipline which deals in information must at some level address security issues. Information that cannot be secured also cannot be trusted for accuracy. Unsecured information is worth very little and may, in fact, present a liability to the user, caretaker and/or owner. Information assurance helps individuals who are professionally responsible for handling of sensitive information subject to accounting practices.”
Students completing the Accounting and Information Assurance major at Southwest Baptist University will also obtain their 150 hours of college credit needed to take the CPA exam in Missouri and most other states.
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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.
