Providence, R.I.--Providence College alumni are offering their real-world perspective to accountancy majors at PC through a one-credit course called Introduction to the Profession.

Introduction to the Profession is a late-afternoon speaker series centered on various professional tracks that accountancy majors may enter after graduation. Most of the 50 students that were enrolled this semester are juniors.

The program, which was founded four years ago by Carol A. Hartley, C.P.A, assistant professor of accountancy, is a six-session series that has featured talks by PC graduates from various professions.

Hartley said she tries to have three speakers for each program, which end with question-and-answer and networking sessions.

The list of alumni speakers to date includes partners, principals, and managers in public accounting firms, company CEOs and CFOs, lawyers, a venture capitalist, investment bankers, and a member of the Rhode Island State Police.

"Speakers provide a personal career history and their seasoned perspectives on what has worked well and what they would change so students can make informed decisions about a potential career path," Hartley said.

One of the most recent speakers was Maureen P. (Davenport) Corcoran '79, C.P.A., a member of the College's Board of Trustees and executive vice president of finance of State Street Corporation, a leading provider of financial services across the globe.

Corcoran said she hoped her interaction with the students "can help them shortcut some lessons that it has taken me a lifetime to learn." She said she also hoped the students realized how interconnected their professional and personal lives were after her talk.

"I think you need to know yourself well, and always take a very balanced and holistic view of who you are and where you're going when faced with important life choices," she said.

Despite hectic professional and personal schedules, Corcoran said she was "energized" after her talk with the accountancy students and encouraged other alumni to continue to engage current students, no matter the subject.

"PC alumni and students share a set of core values, and comparing notes on these experiences is both enlightening and enjoyable," she said.

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