Alex Beene
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – Alexander Beene, a senior accountancy major at the University of Mississippi at DeSoto Center-Southaven, has accepted a Certified Management Accountant Program Scholarship.
The scholarship was awarded last spring by the Institute of Management Accountants. It covers the entrance fee to the CMA program, registration fees for both parts of the CMA exam and up to three years of IMA membership. It also provides access to exam support programs and information.
“I am honored by all of my professors, student peers and colleagues that are supporting me throughout the tough years of completing my degree,” Beene said. “I was extremely excited and honored to be nominated and receive this scholarship.”
The IMA allows 10 students per school per academic year to be nominated for the scholarship. Beene was nominated by Howard Lawrence, clinical professor of accountancy at the DeSoto regional campus. Fellow accountancy major Timothy Nagle also encouraged Beene.
“Alex’s ‘secret’ to success is really no secret at all,” Lawrence said. “He shows up for all classes with his homework in hand and a clear understanding of the topics to be discussed. He does this by studying – not just reading – the material in advance.”
Originally from Lake Cormorant, Beene graduated in 2017 from Northwest Mississippi Community College with an associate degree specialized in accounting. He chose to continue his education at UM-DeSoto by enrolling in the university’s nationally acclaimed accounting program.
“When I was looking into going back to school early in 2015, I decided that I needed to push further than an associate degree and attempt a good career,” he said. “I looked at the different degrees that were offered fully at UM-DeSoto and analyzed their pros and cons.
“After seeing the high placement rate for accountancy graduates, I had to go in that direction.”
Beene plans to take both parts of the CMA exam in the summer of 2019.
“This gives me one year to prepare and I will have my bachelor’s degree all but completed,” he said.
Working while attending classes has been a challenge for Beene, who is married with two children. However, he hopes that the experience will help him after he receives his degree.
“By graduation, I hope to be a few steps ahead of my other peers in the accountancy program,” he said. “I just started working in June as a staff accountant at Vertrauen Chemie Solutions in Memphis after working at ABB as an operations coordinator.”
For information about the accountancy program at the UM-DeSoto campus, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/desoto.