Virginia GFOA cultivates education and communication.

• Author: Paxton, Joseph S.
• Position: Government Finance Officers Association - State/Provincial Highlights

In an effort to promote professionalism in governmental accounting, the Virginia Government Finance Officers Association (VGFOA) has developed programs that provide aid to university students, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and an awards program for local governments. The GFOA's state representative for Virginia described these programs at the meeting of state association presidents and GFOA state representatives that preceded the GFOA's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, in May 1993.

The University Approach: Part I

Of the state universities that offer undergraduate degrees in accounting, five of Virginia's universities offer a course in governmental accounting. The course is not required for graduation, however. In order to encourage students to take the semester-long course focusing on accounting for governments, the VGFOA developed the Edward T. Pettigrew Award for Outstanding Achievement in Governmental Accounting.

Named after the VGFOA's first president, the award is given to five students, one at each university, who have recorded the highest level of academic accomplishment during the previous year. In order to be eligible for the award, a student must have successfully completed the governmental accounting class. Each year, a member of the VGFOA's executive board presents a check and an engraved plaque to the winning students. In addition, the VGFOA provides each university with a master plaque with the names of all of its winning students engraved. Funds for the achievement award are derived from the net proceeds of VGFOA-sponsored technical training seminars. Since the inception of the award in 1989, 22 students have received awards totaling $4,100.

The University Approach: Part II

To bridge the gap between theory and practice of government finance, the VGFOA established a research fellowship for graduate students at Old Dominion University in 1986. Funded through proceeds from the annual financial management conference for local governments held in cooperation with the university, the fellowship awards $5,200 to one graduate student per year. Since its creation, research fellowships totaling $36,400 have been awarded.

While completing his or her masters degree, the student fulfills the requirements of the fellowship by conducting research for the VGFOA. Recent fellows have compiled statistics on annual financial reports. Other research has included surveys on centralized accounting practices and the...