If investigating white collar criminals were easy, it wouldn’t have taken more than two years for the probe into the 2001 Enron scandal to result in convictions.

That’s why faculty at the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics have spent the past 24 months preparing draft guidelines for how forensic accounting and fraud investigation should be taught at colleges and universities.

Since the high-profile accounting scandals at Enron, Global Crossing and WorldCom, among others, many colleges and universities have developed stand-alone courses to teach forensic accounting, which focuses on detecting illegal financial activities. Such activities in early January 2004 put ex-Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow behind bars for 10 years.

However, there have been neither national academic standards for these courses nor any comprehensive model curriculum for forensic accounting and fraud investigationuntil now. Under a 2003 $612,000 National Institute for Justice award, WVU faculty created a technical working group and championed the completion of Education and Training in Fraud and Forensic Accounting: A Guide for Educational Institutions, Stakeholders Organizations, Faculty and Students.

“While America’s chances of being mugged are at an all-time low, being robbed by unscrupulous corporations has never been higher. That is why it is vital that auditors receive the necessary education to ferret out fraud and corruption,said Joseph T. Wells, chairman of the board of directors and founder of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in Austin, Texas .The NIJ award in fraud and forensic accounting, administered by West Virginia University, will go a long way in training tomorrow’s CPAs to deal with crimes of the 21st century.”

The 60- page guide was created with the help of 46 experts from various private and government organizations, including the nation’s major accounting firms; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; FBI ; IRS; and the National White Collar Crime Center, or NW3C .

Don Brackman, NW3C director said,”The NW3C is proud to have participated in the development of this much-needed model curriculum. Not only will students in the academic environment benefit, but also thousands of practitioners in law enforcement can gain new skills that are in high demand today in the fight against fraud.”

The forensic accounting curriculum is another linchpin of WVU ’s forensic focus, which began in the mid-1990s, and has expanded to include a popular major and significant research efforts.

“WVU is a leader in creating academic curriculum in forensic educationwe’ve done it in forensic science and we’re doing it in digital evidence and forensic accounting,said Max Houck, director of WVU ’s Forensic Science Initiative,and we’ve had outstanding collaboration with the professional accounting community on this endeavor.

Houck said the forensic accounting curriculum model will helpdefine and refine what forensic accounting is as a scholarly and professional discipline and will be a solid resource for students, professionals and especially academic institutions.”

Forensic accounting and fraud investigation doesn’t just apply to Enron-type crimes. Recently, WVU faculty in the College of Business and Economics published a paper documenting instances where terrorists have funded their activities by laundering money obtained by defrauding the federal food stamp program.

WVU ’s Division of Accounting in the College of Business and Economics offers a 12-credit graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation during summer sessions.

Forensic accounting is not new. Accountants have provided fraudulent financial records investigation and litigation support to corporations, government and law enforcement for decades,said Richard Riley, the Louis F. Tanner Distinguished Professor of Public Accounting at WVU .Academic accounting programs traditionally have focused on the knowledge and skills required for financial statement preparation, audits and analysis. Although this knowledge overlaps in many ways with those required for forensic accounting investigations, there are significant differences.