Forensic Institute @ UC
The University of Charleston has begun producing students who will make sure that white collar crime doesn’t pay.
In what will ultimately become a University of Charleston Graduate School of Business (UCGSB) degree, the University held in late January the first offfering of its new Forensic Institute at the University of Charleston (FIUC).
The certificate awarded from the three-day program is called “Accredited Fraud Investigator.” The Forensic Institute at UC will eventually be housed in the former Boll Building, downtown, along with the UCGSB. There are only five study centers for Forensic Accounting nationwide. Its proximity to the FBI’s White Collar Crime Center in Fairmont is an added benefit.
Dr. Robert Rufus, a former Internal Revenue Service agent who has practiced accounting for 25 years in Huntington, has created the program in cooperation with UCGSB Associate Dean Dr. Robert Bliss, also the Chair of UC’s Herbert Jones Division of Business and Director of UC’s highly successful EMBA program. Dr. Rufus will be the director of the Institute.
“This is a very intensive program… 24 hours of face time,” said Dr. Rufus. “We’re taking a semester’s worth of information and packing it into three days. It is the ultimate executive program. The forensic accounting field is considered to be the number one niche in the accounting profession.”
On April 23-25, a second “Accredited Fraud Investigator” offering will be held. On June 2-6, another certified offering, Accredited Analyst Program, will be held at the Forensic Institute at UC as well. Student openings are available.
Forensic Accounting by definition is the application of accounting principles, theories, and disciplines to facts or hypotheses at issue in a legal dispute. It is considered a new and emerging discipline requiring education and skills training beyond current offerings. The void in Forensic Accounting education is openly recognized by the American Accounting Association (AAA) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
“Accountants are trained to look at the numbers. Forensic Accountants are trained to look beyond the numbers,” Rufus said. “The need started with the many accounting failures of the decade the Enrons, Worldcoms, and Tycos. And the need was magnified by the SAS 99 (Statement of Auditing Standard), a regulation that mandates forensic accounting services. There’s this gap between what the accounting profession has to offer and the mandate of SAS 99. What the University has done is bridge that gap. The greatest need that is out there is training, education, and mentoring in the forensic accounting area.”
Fifty percent of West Virginia’s accountants are within a 50-mile radius of Charleston, further enhancing the Institute’s appeal. The Accredited Analyst Program in March will take at least five days, and student openings are available. Call Dr. Robert Bliss at 304-357-4865 for more information.
In what will ultimately become a University of Charleston Graduate School of Business (UCGSB) degree, the University held in late January the first offfering of its new Forensic Institute at the University of Charleston (FIUC).
The certificate awarded from the three-day program is called “Accredited Fraud Investigator.” The Forensic Institute at UC will eventually be housed in the former Boll Building, downtown, along with the UCGSB. There are only five study centers for Forensic Accounting nationwide. Its proximity to the FBI’s White Collar Crime Center in Fairmont is an added benefit.
Dr. Robert Rufus, a former Internal Revenue Service agent who has practiced accounting for 25 years in Huntington, has created the program in cooperation with UCGSB Associate Dean Dr. Robert Bliss, also the Chair of UC’s Herbert Jones Division of Business and Director of UC’s highly successful EMBA program. Dr. Rufus will be the director of the Institute.
“This is a very intensive program… 24 hours of face time,” said Dr. Rufus. “We’re taking a semester’s worth of information and packing it into three days. It is the ultimate executive program. The forensic accounting field is considered to be the number one niche in the accounting profession.”
On April 23-25, a second “Accredited Fraud Investigator” offering will be held. On June 2-6, another certified offering, Accredited Analyst Program, will be held at the Forensic Institute at UC as well. Student openings are available.
Forensic Accounting by definition is the application of accounting principles, theories, and disciplines to facts or hypotheses at issue in a legal dispute. It is considered a new and emerging discipline requiring education and skills training beyond current offerings. The void in Forensic Accounting education is openly recognized by the American Accounting Association (AAA) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
“Accountants are trained to look at the numbers. Forensic Accountants are trained to look beyond the numbers,” Rufus said. “The need started with the many accounting failures of the decade the Enrons, Worldcoms, and Tycos. And the need was magnified by the SAS 99 (Statement of Auditing Standard), a regulation that mandates forensic accounting services. There’s this gap between what the accounting profession has to offer and the mandate of SAS 99. What the University has done is bridge that gap. The greatest need that is out there is training, education, and mentoring in the forensic accounting area.”
Fifty percent of West Virginia’s accountants are within a 50-mile radius of Charleston, further enhancing the Institute’s appeal. The Accredited Analyst Program in March will take at least five days, and student openings are available. Call Dr. Robert Bliss at 304-357-4865 for more information.