Accounting students earn membership in Stanford University fellows program

Four Accounting majors in Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration are among a select group of students across the country who have completed the training to join the University Innovation Fellows program by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.

The students are: Joseph Scott, Jessica Flynn, Andrew Klapac and Chris Eichler.

They are among 358 students from 96 universities in 16 countries to join the program, which provides students the knowledge to become agents of change and help their peers to engage with creative thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The four students went through six weeks of online training and will travel to one of two in-person Meetups to continue their projects and skill building. Marsha Huber, professor of Accounting, serves as the faculty advisor and mentor.

“Being accepted into the UIF program was one of the most exhilarating experiences for me,” Scott said. “We went through a rigorous six-week training program that was entirely hands-on experiences. We went out and interviewed students and faculty to identify areas on campus we could improve through the knowledge from the program."

“Each week we were testing new ideas and refining old ones, all leading up to a stakeholder meeting in the final week with campus leaders where we pitched our findings and asked for their support. The UIF Program does not stop there- we committed to a two-year program. We will be working diligently with our stakeholders to enact change on campus and introduce innovation to YSU students and faculty throughout that time.”