Professor Yongtae Kim
I assumed the role of Department Chair in September this year when Professor Michael Eames stepped down from the position after four years to take a much-earned year-long sabbatical. It is definitely a learning process for me but with the assistance of former chairs, I’m slowly adjusting to my new role. There have been several important changes to the Leavey School of Business and to the accounting department.
Caryn Beck-Dudley took over the dean position of the Leavey School of Business in August 2015. Dean Beck-Dudley has served as deans of two major business schools over the past 13 years, most recently as the dean of the College of Business at the Florida State University for nine years. At Florida State, she led the successful strategic planning process and played a pivotal role in generating more fundraising.
Within the department, Professor Susan Parker is now the new director of the CAAP program, and Professor Haidan Li is the new faculty advisor to the SCU Accounting Association. Professor Siqi Li has a new member in her family. Her beautiful baby daughter Yeelai was born in March this year. The department is diligently preparing for the AACSB accreditation visit in February, 2016 and Professor Parker is leading the efforts.
Our students continue to do well in multiple fronts. One of our students was a recipient of 2014 Elijah Watts Sells Award, the award given to top CPA Examination performers. In the 2015 senior survey, 86% (87% of accounting majors and 77% of A&IS majors) indicated that they had accepted a position by spring of the senior year. These are the highest placement rates in the Business School. Our students also report high levels of internship participation. In 2015, 88% of seniors had participated in an internship; 54% reported 2 or more internships.
Our department enjoyed the high point of faculty scholarship in 2014-2015. Our faculty continues to publish in the most prestigious academic journals. Professor Siqi Li has her paper accepted for publication at The Accounting Review. Professor Yongtae Kim has his paper accepted for publication at the Journal of Accounting and Economics. One of Professor Kim’s papers also appeared in the Management Science in 2015. A paper by Professors Yongtae Kim, Haidan Li, and Siqi Li published in the Contemporary Accounting Research in 2015 was quoted in the Wall Street Journal. Most recently, Professor Susan Parker has her paper accepted for publication at the Journal of Accounting Research. As of the end of 2014, our department was ranked 49th in the nationby University of Texas at Dallas World Rankings of Business Schools based on publications in the most prestigious accounting journals in the past five years, ahead of premiere business schools such as Yale University, UCLA, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Rochester, UC Davis, and Carnegie Mellon University.
In closing, I want to thank all of you who contribute to your time and financial support to our program. I cannot envision our success without the support of terrific accounting alumni. I also recognize the tremendous support of Advisory Board and professional community who help us improve the quality of our program by providing advice, financial support, and seminar speakers.