The UAB Student Center for the Public Trust (UAB SCPT) opens a new website at the Collat School of Business recently received both chapter honors and awards for individual members from the NASBA Center for the Public Trust.
(l-r) Bradley Pinkerton, Chen Song, Carissa Peters, and Maria Athienitis.
The chapter was named a 2021-22 Golden Star Chapter, an honor bestowed on chapters that lead with excellence and ethics on their campuses.
“UAB SCPT’s mission is to promote the development of strong ethical values and the encouragement of ethical leadership, since a solid foundation in ethical values is a fundamental requirement of any profession,” said UAB SCPT Faculty Advisor Maria Athienitis. “The Golden Star Status award reaffirms the time and effort UAB SCPT has dedicated in accomplishing this mission.”
Established in 2005 by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy in the wake of numerous corporate accounting scandals, the NASBA Center for the Public Trust (NASBA CPT) is a non-profit organization that champions the public trust by advancing ethical leadership in business, institutions and organizations.
Nationally, the Student Center for the Public Trust (StudentCPT) has 52 chapters; UAB was one of 13 to receive this honor.
Each chapter must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the honor. In addition to having elected officers and regular chapter meetings, Golden Star Chapters must participate in approved community service activities, promote StudentCPT ethics competitions, and participate in the StudentCPT Leadership Conference.
“We look forward to more years of complementing UAB’s exceptional academic instruction by equipping students to maintain the highest standards of integrity and address complex ethical challenges in their future careers,” said Vice President of the UAB SCPT, Bradley Pinkerton.
The other awarded chapters are Belmont University, Lipscomb University, Marshall University, New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University, Tennessee Tech University, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, University of Guam, University of New Mexico, University of Southern Mississippi and University of Wyoming.
A Collat faculty member and student also received individual ethics awards from NASBA CPT.
Chen Song, a senior accounting instructor, and accounting student Carissa Peters both received the 2022 Being a Difference Award for displaying ethical leadership.
“Ethics are the cornerstone of the accounting industry,” Song said of the honor. “As educators, we should hold ourselves to higher ethical standards. I’m deeply honored and grateful to receive this award. I believe that doing the right thing when no one is looking is the highest praise. The peace of mind and the trust you build are worth everything.”
Peters called the award “one of the greatest honors I have ever received.”
“I am not usually speechless, however, trying to put into words what this award means to me has left me just that… speechless,” she said. “Honor, ethics, and integrity are characteristics that unequivocally embody what it means to be an accountant, and having those characteristics recognized by others gives me a sense of pride that I have never felt before.”