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Accounting Doctoral Scholars Teaching First College Classes This Semester
[December 05, 2013]

Accounting Doctoral Scholars Teaching First College Classes This Semester


(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NEW YORK, Dec. 4 -- The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants issued the following news release: The AICPA is pleased to announce the first wave of graduates from the Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program. The ADS Program was designed to address the nation-wide shortage of accounting faculty and has supported more than 110 audit and tax practitioners with recent public accounting experience in accounting PhD programs. The twelve newly-minted PhD's who represent the first wave of ADS Program graduates are currently teaching their first college courses this semester.



"Having the first Accounting Doctoral Scholars begin teaching undergraduates this fall is a real milestone for both the program and the profession as a whole," said Steve Matzke, Director of Faculty and University Initiatives at the AICPA, who has managed the ADS Program since its launch. "While there is still more work to be done, we are confident that the ADS Program will ultimately fulfill its mission of helping secure the future of the profession by incrementally increasing the current number of accounting faculty who hold PhD's." The ADS Program, which is currently in the fifth year of its eight year lifespan, selected its first group of students to fund in 2008. While no longer selecting new candidates, the program represents the most significant commitment ever made to accounting education by the accounting profession. A total of17 million dollars in funding was provided by over 120 sponsors, including accounting firms, state CPA societies, the AICPA and others. When the program was created, over 43 percent of current accounting faculty members at U.S. colleges and universities were 55 or older, underscoring the need to act quickly.

"The ADS Program has added a substantial number of experienced CPAs to the current PhD pool, which ultimately means more CPAs in the classroom preparing the CPAs of tomorrow to enter the profession. These PhD's will help address the capacity issues of accounting enrollments at colleges and universities across the United States and strengthen an already robust pipeline of accounting talent at the undergraduate and graduate level." added Matzke.


"I greatly appreciate the opportunity provided by the ADS Program. During my career in public accounting, I thought about pursuing a PhD. multiple times. However, it was the ADS Program that allowed me to put this desire into action while giving me access to valuable resources," said Matthew Erikson, University of Arizona PhD candidate and ADS Scholar.

To provide the fullest understanding of what to expect in a doctoral program, as well as a career as an accounting professor, the vast majority of both Accounting Doctoral Scholars and participating universities attended an orientation conference.

"The ADS conference provided me with unprecedented exposure to universities working to match with candidates. This is the exact structure I needed to make this important decision. Without ADS, I would not be pursuing my PhD," said Mark Sheldon, Virginia Tech PhD candidate and ADS Scholar.

All twelve ADS Scholars who have completed the program to date have obtained jobs on college campuses. Upon starting their new careers, they have relied heavily on the support networks they developed during the time in the ADS Program.

"I cannot say enough about the opportunities the ADS Program has afforded me. In my first year of teaching I have relied extensively on the relationships I formed during my time as an ADS student to assist me in transitioning into my new role as an assistant accounting professor," said Denise Hanes, PhD, CPA, Assistant Accounting Professor at Villanova University. "In particular, my fellow ADS scholars have been invaluable resource on a daily basis, discussing new questions and challenges that arise. Beyond my peers, numerous professionals I encountered during the ADS Program have generously donated their time over these first few months to the benefit of both me and my students." More information about the Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program is available online at http://www.adsphd.org/.

To schedule an interview about the ADS program, contact James Schiavone, 212-596-6119 or [email protected].

TNS 24HariRad-131205-30FurigayJane-4568690 30FurigayJane (c) 2013 Targeted News Service

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