The Accounting Advisory Group (AAG) held its Fall meeting on October 2, welcoming new member Mark Halpin, tax business leader at Progressive Insurance, and Wes Ernst, partner at Forvis Mazars, subbing in for Chris Linck.
Department updates were discussed, notably Miami University’s first-time appearance in the U.S. News Best Colleges list for Best Undergraduate Accounting Programs, ranking 52nd among National Universities and 23rd among National Public Universities. Accountancy enrollments have increased by approximately 65% since 2021–2022; the last time it exceeded 800 undergraduate students was in 2012. MAcc enrollment is at an all-time high of 69 students this year.
The group discussed industry challenges, including a weaker job market and internship recruiting shifts. Department Chair Anne Farrell also shared the department’s initiatives focused on AI integration and upcoming program reviews. Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA) President Laura Hay shared CPA exam performance statistics and updates on states’ changes to CPA licensing. Farmer School of Business (FSB) Dean Jenny Darroch provided additional remarks.
A substantial portion of the morning featured the Faculty Research Roundtable, where nine faculty members shared their research in small-group format, including Qing Burke, Po-Chang Chen, Michele Frank, Jon Pyzoha, Brent Schmidt, Sydney Shu, Matt Wieland, Li Yang, and James Zhang.
The discussion highlighted the strategic impacts of the faculty actively engaging in academic research, including how it:
- keeps faculty current on trends and developments in fields
- makes them more critical thinkers, helping them to design better assignments and exams as well as better anticipate and respond to students’ questions
- makes them more precise communicators and story-tellers, so that students more clearly understand and retain information as the faculty serve as models of effective communication.
After a buffet lunch catered by City Barbeque, Alex Wood, director of the Passport Scholars Program, provided an overview of the program and shared opportunities for mentorship. The Passport Scholars Program is a comprehensive four-year high-touch student success program for academically accomplished students interested in studying business. Passport students receive academic support aimed at developing skills related to transitioning to college, personal development, time management, study skills, degree planning, internships, and career development.
After a final set of updates, an executive meeting followed. The next AAG meeting is set for April 30, 2027.
Photos from the Faculty Research Roundtable
