For example, knowing the percentage of women on the list who don't have children might be important to a man who is looking for a wife but not a family. Dr. Solomon, a professor of accountancy at Illinois, acknowledges that a fictitious dating service is an unusual topic for an accounting project. That's not the way the world works. The Illinois project is part of a growing movement to overhaul accounting education. They say students need cognitive, communication, and computer skills as well, because the role of accountants has changed.
Accountants do more than audit companies.
Today, they act as business consultants and conduct non-financial audits, such as verifying the graduation rate of a college. Most of the nation's 192,000 accounting undergraduates are still in traditional programs. But Illinois is among the institutions leading a reform movement. Others include Arizona State and Brigham Young Universities. Last year, professors from 44 colleges attended a workshop on accounting-curriculum reform at Illinois.