William (Bill) Ash ’79, a graduate of Piqua High School, thought of a unique way to encourage students from his alma mater to pursue an accountancy degree: by providing scholarships to graduates who are attending Miami University to pursue a major in accounting and/or finance.
The scholarship is provided through the Piqua Education Foundation (PEF), established by some forward-thinking Piqua citizens in the 1980s. Since then, the PEF has grown to seven million dollars in funding and awarded nearly $400,000 of post–high school education scholarships last year. The William Ash Scholarship’s first recipient will be chosen by the PEF scholarship committee in May 2023. “I have always wanted to provide some financial support to Piqua and/or Miami students. The PEF really provided the vehicle for me to support both Piqua and Miami,” he shared.
During his Miami years, Bill served as an RA at Anderson Hall. He also joined the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, which resulted in a “vastly improved college social experience.” Bill graduated from Miami in 1979 with a BS in Accounting and Finance. He interned with Deloitte during his junior year, then joined its audit team after graduation. Five companies and 43 years later, he retired as CFO of a Cincinnati-area private company in 2021.
Since graduating, Bill has developed an interest in wine, and he has returned to Oxford to cultivate this interest. “One of my favorite classes was Botany 244 Viticulture and Enology taught by Jack Keegan…in 1999, my wife and I commuted once per week from West Chester to Oxford to sit in on this class.” Bill returns to campus at least once per year to attend and donate to the Miami Performing Arts Wine Tasting Fundraiser. Since then, he has been a frequent visitor in Oxford, discovering more of what this college town has to offer. “My wife and I hike the Marcum Nature Trail along Four Mile Creek, which I did not know existed while attending Miami.”
The Department of Accountancy is very grateful for Bill and the efforts of other alumni in encouraging growth of the accountancy profession and remaining in touch with Miami long after graduation. As Interim Chair and Professor Annie Farrell stated, “It’s alumni like Bill who embody “Love and Honor”—supporting and caring for Miamians with a deep sense of gratitude that makes others proud. I know I’m proud to have connected with Bill, and I have no doubt others are too. I’m grateful that alums like Bill continue to return to Miami to enjoy all it offers and to give back. Bill, thank you for what you do and for what you represent!”