|
|
In This Issue- Letter from the Department Chair
- AACSB accreditation extended for five years
- Accountancy mentorship program matches students and alums
- Inaugural Nationwide case competition held in Spring
- Accountancy graduate earns CPA Exam award
- Senior student wins PCAOB scholarship
- Faculty publications place Miami among the top in BYU research rankings
- Research highlights cybersecurity, COVID-19, and court judge attributes
- Four faculty members recently promoted
| |
Dear Alumni and Friends,
I hope this letter finds you and your families well and in good spirits! In writing this letter, I am filled with great optimism and anticipation for the upcoming academic year and a full return to the in-person educational experience Miami is known for providing. We are particularly eager to apply the lessons and new technologies learned over the last year to a fully in-person setting to further enhance the Miami experience. I hope you, too, are experiencing the same excitement and anticipation in your professional endeavors!
While we are primarily focused on the upcoming year, we do wish to highlight within this newsletter some noteworthy events from the prior academic year, including the following successes:
- The Department of Accountancy received a highly favorable accreditation report from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and extension of accreditation.
- The Department of Accountancy successfully launched a mentorship program that pairs students with alums who are in career paths that are consistent with students’ interests
- Accountancy faculty and students collaborated on academic research projects, yielding several publications.
- Accountancy faculty published multiple studies in highly regarded academic journals, furthering our ascension in accountancy research rankings.
These successes illustrate that our department’s many strengths are rooted in robust collaborations between Miami students, faculty, staff, and alums. Active alumni involvement is truly a critical component of our programs’ successes, and we are grateful for the wide range of generous support you reliably provide.
In closing, I want to invite you to take a few minutes to read through the enclosed stories, thank you for your tremendous support, and wish you all the very best. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you would like to learn more about our current activities and, if interested, how you can participate. You are always welcome to call (513-529-6212), email (reffeta@miamioh.edu), or simply stop by my office (FSB 3094) to talk.
Love & Honor,
| |
| AASCB Accreditation Extended for Five Years
| |
We are pleased to announce that the AACSB has extended accreditation to the Farmer School of Business and the Department of Accountancy for another five years, following a review of both the School's and the department's efforts towards ensuring excellent student learning, developing and implementing curriculum, strategic planning, its faculty's qualifications and intellectual contributions, and resource sufficiency.
Highlighted in the peer review board's recommendation report were three areas of excellence: the involvement of the Accountancy Advisory Group members, our diversity and inclusion efforts, and our innovative curriculum guided by the Data-Driven Decision-Making (3DM) Framework. As quoted from the report:
“Based on the scientific method, the Department has developed and implemented an innovative and impactful new curriculum conducted by faculty members that anticipates the needs of the accounting profession. The “3DM Framework” upon which this curriculum is based will prepare students for many of the challenges that they are likely to face when working as professionals. Faculty publications about the new 3DM Framework suggest that this project will have a high impact on other accounting programs.”
Receiving extension of AACSB accreditation is a significant accomplishment that provides independent assurance that our programs are meeting and exceeding rigorous standards of excellence across all areas of operation.
| |
Accountancy Mentorship Program Launched in Spring
| |
Many Accountancy alums and friends have enjoyed a wide range of highly successful career paths and possess a wealth of knowledge and experiences. Recognizing this, the department launched the Accountancy Mentorship Program, the goal of which is to enrich our students’ educational experiences and help to guide them as they chart their initial career paths. This Spring, we successfully matched 31 students with alumni based on common professional interests.
Students made the initial contact with their mentors in February to set up a virtual call. Currently, the primary interactions between the mentor and the mentee are expected to involve a monthly, live virtual interaction to facilitate a meaningful relationship. However, we also encourage mentees to occasionally email shorter questions and comments that may not necessarily require virtual interaction. In the future, we hope to allow for in-person, on-campus meetings at the discretion of the mentor and mentee.
Our hope is for mentors to help mentees reach their goals by providing advice and, in cases of questions outside the mentor's expertise, to help the mentee access other experts. The initial feedback from both sides has been encouraging, with typical responses such as the following:
"I really enjoyed the program and meeting with my mentor! It is really nice just knowing there is someone graduated and in the business world that I can ask any questions to or ask for advice. I am really happy to be a part of the program and really enjoyed meeting and talking to my mentor."
"Both of my mentees have been great! I've had 3 or 4 calls with them so far, and they've all been productive. They have great questions, and I can tell they are serious about their school/careers. Both have internships lined up for the summer, so I'm very excited for them! I'll definitely check back in with them during the summer to see if they are liking the work!"
If you are interested in participating in the mentorship program and/or learning more about the program, please click the button below to send an email to Drew Reffett.
| |
| Nationwide Case Competition
| |
Last Spring saw the first Nationwide Case Competition, featuring a case developed around a fictitious acquisition. Students had one week to dive into all the facts and circumstances around the acquisition to arrive at recommendations to the business. This is a real-world example of the advisory function that accountants drive.
Taylor McGowen '05, AVP and Corporate Development Controller at Nationwide, spearheaded the case competition. "Nationwide Controllership truly values our relationship with Miami and Miami students. Our team has many proud alumni across all levels of our organization. We wanted to establish a way to give back to the next generation of Miami student leaders by developing a technical case competition that would enrich the students’ understanding of the important work that accountants lead in corporate settings."
Nationwide's Lauren Tonetti, Technical Director for Accounting Policy and Research, developed the case and provided the materials, including a mock trial balance, bank reconciliation, intangible fair value analysis, and purchase price documentation, that students needed to complete the case. After kicking off the case, Nationwide staff held office hours throughout the week to allow students to discuss their questions.
The week concluded with presentations from the case teams, and winners were announced the following day, a team comprising sophomore students Alex Roell and Dieu Minh Mai. "Mergers and acquisitions are a common occurrence in the business world, and I wanted to know more about its accounting process. After the case, I understood more about the subject, and it was rewarding working with Alex to solve the case," shared Mai. Each team member received a $250 cash prize.
"We were very impressed with the Miami students that we interacted with during the case competition week. The students engaged with us during office hours and asked thorough questions. During the presentations, the students were well prepared and did a wonderful job presenting their stances and how they arrived at their conclusions. Ultimately, this was a great way for Nationwide leaders to identify future talent for our internship program, as well as for our entry-level positions," said McGowen.
| |
Accountancy Graduate Earns CPA Exam Award
| |
Dominique Van Howe '19 is the fifth Miami accountancy graduate to earn the Elijah Watt Sells Award in the last three years. She was one of 89 people to win the award out of nearly 75,000 who took the CPA Exam in 2020.
| |
Senior Student Wins $10,000 PCAOB Scholarship
| |
For the fourth year in a row, a Miami accountancy student has been awarded the PCAOB scholarship. The $10,000 award was awarded to Anthony Patrick, whose goal is to obtain a CPA license and develop a "lasting, impactful, and equity-driven career in accounting."
| |
| BYU Research Rankings Place Miami Among the Top
| |
BYU Accounting Rankings ranks Miami University as one of the top research schools in several areas. These rankings are based on classifications of peer-reviewed articles in 12 accounting journals. The following are our top rankings for the past 6 years:
- #2 in Experimental Research - Accounting Information Systems
- #5 in Experimental Research - Audit
- #5 in Experimental Research - Tax
- # 11 in Experimental Research - Financial
- # 12 in Experimental Research - Managerial
Our high research rankings are particularly impressive considering the greater teaching loads our faculty carry and Miami's heavier emphasis on undergraduate education relative to many of the other universities included within the rankings.
| |
Here's a sampling of recent research by our faculty and students:
- Jon Pyzoha, Michele Frank, and Jon Grenier recently published a paper in the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy titled "Board Liability for Cyberattacks: The Effects of a Prior Attack and Implementing the AICPA's Cybersecurity Framework." They found that boards of directors are more likely to be held liable for a cyberattack when a company has experienced a previous attack. Directors can reduce this liability risk by subsequently implementing the AICPA's cybersecurity risk management reporting and assurance framework.
- Pyzoha and Frank are also working on a new project with a recent MAcc graduate, Faiz Surani '21, studying the impact of Covid-19 on accounting professionals’ daily lives and accounting firms’ recruiting processes.
- Bill Moser worked with MAcc student Sophie McDonnell and Brad Lindsey (Associate Professor at Utah State) on a paper titled, "Do United States Tax Court Judge Attributes and Professional Experience Affect Corporate Tax Dispute Outcomes?" This paper investigated whether the personal attributes of the Tax Court judge assigned to the case (political ideology, professional experience, and tenure on the bench) influence whether corporate taxpayers and the IRS reach a negotiated settlement or proceed to trial. Overall, results show that Tax Court judges who are conservative, have private practice experience, have governmental legislative experience, and have longer tenure on the Tax Court bench are more likely to preside over disputes that are resolved through a negotiated settlement as opposed to going to a trial.
| |
We are pleased to share the following faculty promotions:
- Qing Burke was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure.
- Eric Marinich was promoted from Assistant Teaching Professor to Associate Teaching Professor.
- Jon Pyzoha was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure.
- Matt Wieland was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure.
Congratulations to Qing, Eric, Jon, and Matt on their well-deserved promotions!
| |
| Contribute to the Accountancy General Fund
| |
Our department's accomplishments would not be possible without support from our generous friends and donors. If you would like to make a contribution to the General Accountancy Fund, please use the button below.
| |
| We'd love to hear from you!
| |
|
Have you recently started a new job? Retired from an old job? Gone to graduate school?
Are wedding bells soon to ring, or is a baby on the way? Let your fellow alumni know
through the Class Notes section of the next Department of Accountancy Annual Report. Simply send an e-mail with all pertinent information (including your graduation date and maiden name,
if applicable) to accdept@MiamiOH.edu. Alternatively, you may update your
information through our online form.
| |
|
|
|
