Many deadlines for many IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) awards and scholarship programs are approaching soon. Details are below:
For Students:
NEW! IMA Century Scholarship Award – This scholarship recognizes an active IMA student member who is an undergraduate junior or senior at an IMA Endorsed school or a school with an IMA student chapter. The recipient will receive an award of $7,500 as well as a CMA Scholarship. Deadline: March 10, 2020.
IMA Memorial Education Fund (MEF) Scholarships and Stuart Cameron & Margaret McLeod Memorial Scholarship (SCMS) – IMA student members who have not previously received awards under these programs can apply for these scholarships, which bestow awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Deadline: March 10, 2020.
IMA Student Case Competition – Teams of students respond to a case by preparing and submitting a videotaped presentation, which is then judged by select IMA members. The top four teams receive $3,000 and are eligible to participate in a live competition at IMA's Annual Conference & Expo in Atlanta next June; the winning team receives an additional $2,000. Deadline: February 2, 2020.
IMA Student Manuscript Competition – This program provides any IMA student member with the opportunity to share his or her IMA student membership experience via an 800-word essay. Deadline: March 15, 2020.
For Chapters:
Award of Excellence and Outstanding Student Chapter Competition – Student chapters compete for a gold, silver, or bronze award of excellence by promoting IMA's mission and vision and by providing a variety of activities and services to their student members. The top four schools will be honored at IMA's Annual Conference & Expo in Atlanta in June. The first submission was due by October 31, 2019; the second submission is due by March 31, 2020.
Clark Johnson Achievement Award – This award recognizes a student chapter whose efforts best reflect outstanding leadership through innovation, organizational development, and interdependent partnerships. Deadline: March 1, 2020.
Last year’s winner of the Clark Johnson Achievement Award was, for the first time, Stark State College. Chapter advisor and associate professor of accounting M. Jane Upperman, CPA, explained the chapter’s innovative program: a Coffee for a Cause table on campus, which sells brewed K-Cups of coffee as well as treats and snacks. The proceeds from the coffee sales go to rotating causes such as the Refuge of Hope men’s shelter, a Students Serving Students food pantry, Akron Children’s Hospital, and the Stark County Humane Society. Depending on how many students get involved to run the coffee table, it operates Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The chapter’s efforts extend beyond the monetary, according to Upperman: “In addition to our monetary donations, we also volunteer at the Refuge of Hope and serve dinner there in the fall semester, and we volunteer at the Stark County Humane Society in the spring semester. It comes full circle: We work to raise the money by running a small business on campus and then we finish by donating not only the money we raised but also our time to serve those less privileged than us.”
For the students, the benefits are certainly not just about winning an award: “Not only do the students learn how to run a small business, they also meet new students and introduce others to IMA. However, the most important lesson learned is that giving back to others less fortunate is very gratifying,” Upperman said.
Upperman noted that one of the challenges the chapter encountered was competing against four-year universities. “As a small community college, we have to push harder and do more to get recognized. Community college students are hard-working people trying to change their circumstances and make a positive change in their lives. I’m so excited that these students were able to compete with university-level student clubs and actually win! It is such a great accomplishment and something that we are very proud of.”
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To find out more about any of these awards, please visit the Student Scholarships and Awards and Educator Awards pages on the IMA website or contact Kerry Butkera, IMA research and academic relations administrator, at kbutkera@imanet.org.