MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Cynthia Cooper, known throughout the world of business as the WorldCom Whistleblower, will be the guest speaker at Southern Arkansas University from 9 to 10:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 1, in Harton Theatre. Cooper’s lecture is part of the Lessons in Leadership program, sponsored by the Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics in the College of Business at SAU.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
In 2002, Cooper, the former vice president of Internal Audit at WorldCom, made a decision that would reveal one of the greatest corporate scandals in U.S. history.
Cooper discovered that WorldCom’s crafty accounting methods turned a $662 million loss into a $2.4 billion profit. And rather than bury her findings and look the other way, Cooper made the decision to file her report, which unleashed a firestorm of investigations, media coverage, and accusations.
“How often do we have the opportunity to meet such a legend in accounting—the person responsible for uncovering the largest corporate fraud in history?,” asked Dr. Terrye Stinson, the Blanchard Professor of Accounting at SAU who is co-directing this event.
“Integrity, professional responsibility, and ethical leadership are cornerstones for business professionals that are integral components of a strong business curriculum,” added Stinson. “With Cooper’s program, we are launching our new ethics in education initiative, Lessons in Leadership, through the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics. With financial contributions from area businesses, this initiative will provide an annual lecture on ethics for students and the business community.”
What can we learn from WorldCom and other corporate scandals? Cooper will share her amazing story at the lecture. Following her presentation, Cooper will sign copies of her upcoming book, “Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower.” Honor students in the department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics will receive a free copy of the book.
Cooper will also take part in a private reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Tickets are $150.
For more information about the lecture or to purchase tickets to the dinner, contact Stinson at 870-235-5162 or by email tastinson@saumag.edu.
