Missouri State University Master of Accountancy students Jamey Arter, Bailey Ewert and Lucy Petet placed first in the 2023 Government Finance Case Challenge. 

About the challenge 

Organized by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA), the Government Finance Case Challenge is an annual competition that tests the financial aptitude and problem-solving skills of undergraduate and graduate students.  

At the heart of the challenge lies the creation of a Citizen Centric Report (CCR), a unique reporting style aimed at making governmental financial information more accessible to citizens.

To create the CCR, teams have two and a half weeks to analyze data for an AGA-specific U.S. state, city or county government. 

The competition has two rounds. For the first round, all teams prepare their CCR and a memo explaining the decisions made in creating the CCR. The second–round entails improving the CCR and recording a presentation about it.  

Up for the challenge 

MSU’s team competed at the graduate level and had the target city of Denver, Colorado. 

“Our preparation for the challenge was greatly facilitated by our education at MSU,” Ewert said. 

The accountancy courses taught the trio to extract relevant information from financial statements.  

Additionally, involvement in organizations like Beta Alpha Psi not only connected them with the AGA, but also honed their skills in data visualization and design, crucial aspects of creating an impactful CCR. 

“Our victory in the Government Finance Case Challenge is not just a testament to our hard work and dedication, but it’s also a reflection of the quality education and support provided by Missouri State University,” Ewert said.  

All first-place team members and their faculty advisor each received $1,000 from the AGA.
Learn more about the Master of Accountancy program