"Amazing, Fantastic, Out of this world!"

Every so often, professors get the chance to be ridiculously proud of their students. Although we tried our best to scare Dr. Burke by asking what PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) stood for and spouting out information we'd gleaned from Wikipedia only minutes before entering the building (okay, I admit-- that was only me that did that), at the end of the day, it looks like we did alright. On Monday, the students split up to visit the American Bankers Association and the aforementioned PCAOB. Below is just a glimpse of some of the questions we had for the people with whom we met-- as you can see from Acting Chairman Daniel Goelzer's reaction, our professors weren't the only ones impressed.

You mean these trips can be beneficial?

Below, Acting President Howard McMillan discusses the benefits of the trips Millsaps takes. In this case, exposure and networking at events like these often lend themselves to future employment.

It seems Pres. McMillan may not be the only one excited about this one-of-a-kind experience. In the words of Dr. Pat Taylor, “Having a chance to go to Washington was a unique opportunity, an opportunity that students very well might not get at other institutions. We do this every year. We take them to places that are of significant interest to economic policy and policy making and give these undergraduate students an inside look at how sausage is really made, if you will.”

Millsaps Alumni Event

Monday night ended with a reception held for alumni in the DC area. Acting President McMillan spoke of Millsaps' continued commitment to academic excellence and made the exciting announcement that the Presidential Search Committee had in fact decided on our eleventh President. Below are highlights from the night.

Where all did we go again?

Please Note: the Federal Reserve doesn't allow photos

On the second day of the trip we visited the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. There we met with Governor Kevin Warsh in the executive boardroom. Gov. Warsh talked with us about the economic outlook for the United States, the current recession, and the Fed’s strategy for handling the housing bubble in the current recession. Dr. Pat Taylor gives his take on our visit below.

Howard McMillan on our trip

We were very fortunate to have Howard McMillan and his wife join us on our trip this year. Thanks again for your support and the time you took to help with the blog!

Hello, Washington!

A few months back, a group of accounting and economics students from the Else School at Millsaps College visited our nation's capitol to meet with policy makers. These students were accompanied by several professors, as well as Millsaps' acting president, Howard McMillan. Howard, along with Drs. Pat Taylor and Blakely Fender, serve as commentators and narrators in the series of videos recorded during the trip. Missing from in front of the camera is accounting professor, Dr. Kim Burke, although I'm sure she'll lend a hand at providing descriptions from the many places visited. Among the places visited on this year's trip are Sen. Thad Cochran's office, the Federal Reserve, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the American Bankers Association.

The learning advantage of this trip and these meetings for our students is remarkable. Think about it—at a time when the financial markets have been in crisis, and bank lending has seen some of its biggest decreases since the 1940s, our junior and senior college students are in conversation with some of the most important policy makers in our nation.Take a look.