Dear Miami Accountancy Alumni and Friends,
Our faculty, staff, and students celebrated the holiday season together at events like our annual MAcc gathering at Top Deck (where chicken fingers and mac & cheese bites are always a hit) and a faculty/staff potluck at my home (we have some great cooks in our department). Then we took much-deserved rests with family and friends. But even with a break, we have some great stories to share—I hope you enjoy them!
On a serious note, I’m sure you’re aware of the dire shortage of accountants in the United States. We’re doing our best to turn that around one student at a time. We need your help.
Each summer, we host Make it Miami Accounting Camp for about 25 high school students. We’re revamping the program this year: an expanded (and fun) emphasis on why accounting is the best major ever, all the career paths you can have with an accounting degree, and more—perhaps taking the campers on a plant tour of some kind and giving them more exposure to our fantastic campus and community.
There are two ways you can help:
- Use the “Other fund” line on our Department of Accountancy Giving Page to make a special contribution to the Make It Miami Camp account (indicate “Make It Miami Camp, index ACC719”).
- This year’s contribution to the Make It Miami Camp could help support the program for several years to come: remember that contributions are currently matched dollar-for-dollar! As part of the For Love. For Honor. For Those Who Will capital campaign, the Farmer Family Foundation has increased its matching gift offer to match dollar-for-dollar all cash received between July 1, 2023, and June 20, 2025, up to $20 million. The match goes to the same account as your contributions, and also applies to organizations’ matching gifts programs—so $100 can quickly become $400.
- Email me (Anne.Farrell@MiamiOH.edu) if you’d like to spend some time with the campers on Thursday evening, June 27, or on Friday, June 28. While the program is still a work in progress, we plan to include time for the campers to network with alumni and friends like you, whose eyes light up when you talk about why accounting is a launchpad to amazing careers.
Of course, contributions to the Department of Accountancy account you see on our Giving Page are always welcome (and also matched!), as are your offers to connect with students on campus or to share stories about your career and memories of your time at Miami.
One more thing: Be sure to update your contact information with the Miami Alumni Association, especially if you use your Miami alumni email address—those email addresses will stop working this spring.
Oh wait…one more thing: Thank you.
Love and Honor,
Interim Chair and PwC Professor of Accountancy
Contents:
- Accountancy Alum Natalie Schubert Recently Appointed CEO of Daida
- Students Traveled to Chicago for the 2024 Shade Family CBL Emerging Leaders Consulting Experience
- Accountancy Faculty Team Presents on the Integration of Generative AI in the Accountancy Curriculum
- Faculty Publications and Professional News
- Student News
- Follow us for more updates!
Accountancy Alum Natalie Schubert Recently Appointed CEO of Daida
Natalie Schubert ’90 was recently named CEO of Daida, LLC, a business technology company specializing in data and information management systems.
Students Traveled to Chicago for the 2024 Shade Family CBL Emerging Leaders Consulting Experience
The sixth annual Shade Family CBL Emerging Leaders Consulting Experience, a two-week experiential, immersive experience developed and led by EY Professor Brian Ballou, was once again held this January in Chicago, with students of all majors—including accounting—living the life of consultants working for one firm.
Accountancy Faculty Team Presents on the Integration of Generative AI in the Accountancy Curriculum
This fall, a faculty team comprising Professors Qing Burke, Po-Chang Chen, and Jonathan Pyzoha took part in the Howe Writing Fellows Program, a semester-long commitment in which teams of faculty members from across Miami University develop a project to use writing to encourage deep student learning of material in their specific disciplines.
We celebrate with our faculty, staff, and students on their recent accomplishments.
Faculty Publications and Professional News
- Sydney Shu and co-authors received the 2024 AAA International Accounting Section Midyear Meeting Best Paper Award for their manuscript titled, “The Effect of Expected Shareholder Litigation on Corporate ESG Reporting: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment.” The manuscript is co-authored with Gillian Lei (University of North Carolina Greensboro) and Wayne Thomas (University of Oklahoma).
- William Brink’s manuscript titled “Academic Fraud and Remote Evaluation of Accounting Students: An Application of the Fraud Triangle” was accepted for publication in the Journal of Business Ethics. The study is co-authored with James Bierstaker (Villanova University), Sameera Khatoon (University of Saskatchewan), and Linda Thorne (York University).
- Michele Frank and Anne Farrell completed a micro-credential offered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) focused on creating classroom and work environments where each student feels seen, heard, and valued. Fostering a Culture of Belonging was designed to provide participants with actionable practices that could be implemented immediately. Ensuring that we understand and implement these types of practices is vital because having a sense of belonging is one of the most significant predictors of student retention and success.
- A research paper by Accountancy professors Anne Farrell and Michele Frank, titled “It’s Complicated: How a Subordinate’s Gender Influences Supervisors’ Use of Past Performance Information When Appraising Potential” has been added to CalCPA‘s continuing education course offerings as a one-hour credit course. See our blog article for links to the article and the podcast discussing the significance of the research.
- Michele Frank has been nominated as the next Arthur Andersen Alumni Professor of Accountancy. Michele is the embodiment of a teacher-scholar, and impacts the lives of every student, colleague, and member of the accounting profession that she meets.
Student News
- Accountancy majors Josephine Clark, Kaitlyn Cooley, and Natalie Mispagel were part of the Miami University collegiate synchronized skating team that won the Vicki Korn National Championship Trophy at the 2024 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships held on February 21-24 in Las Vegas.
- The Miami Ice Skating Club, with accountancy major Torie ElHaje and accountancy minor Xandra Johnston, also secured the Midwestern Sectional Championship in the Open Collegiate division held in January in Wichita, Kansas. Torie has served as president of the team for the past two years.
- Both Natalie and Torie are also pursuing a Master of Accountancy degree in the combined 3+1 program. Congratulations to our students, who excel both in sports and academics!
- Alexa Leach has been chosen to receive a scholarship from the Cincinnati Chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI) and will be recognized at the chapter’s April dinner. Awards are given to top students in accounting who demonstrate hard work, enthusiasm for, and expertise in accounting; demonstrate great social skills and attitude; and embody the highest ethical and moral standards.
- A paper by EY Student Scholar Bridget Schaber and Arthur Andersen Alumni Professor & Professor Tim Eaton, titled “Accountants Driving Sustainable Change: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?” was accepted for publication in Strategic Finance. Bridget is the second EY Student Scholar to have not just one, but two publications!