News Stories

Greetings from the SCU Accounting Department!

In AY 2023-24, over 110 students declared accounting and accounting and information systems (A&IS) as their major. This represents the largest cohort of rising juniors in accounting and A&IS that we have had at SCU in the last ten years. Considering the nation-wide trend in the declining enrollment of accounting programs and the well-documented shortage of qualified accounting professionals, our enrollment number is quite encouraging. When we surveyed the students about their decisions of choosing a major, the department-sponsored events (such as Accounting Info Night, Fall Meet-the-Firms, and Corporate Panel) and the reputation of the accounting program are listed as the top reasons motivating their decision.

In the 2023-24 US News & World Report of Best Colleges Rankings, we earned the No. 54 spot for the best accounting program out of over 500 universities. In May of 2024, we celebrated the outstanding achievements of our students at the 24^th Annual Accounting Awards Banquet. More than 20 students were recognized for receiving scholarships sponsored by our alumni and the accounting firms. Maia Murphy, an accounting major, and Emily Bachman, an A&IS major, both received the prestigious scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholars Program. Thomas Kelly, an accounting major with a computer science minor, won the Jerry Kasner Outstanding Accounting Award from the Silicon Valley Chapter of the California Society of CPAs (CalCPA). In addition, three students received distinguished academic achievement awards (Isabella Estrada for Thomas Maier Memorial Award, Annabelle North for the O. Robert Anderson Accounting Award, and Jason Chen for the O. Robert Anderson A&IS Award). Iris Do, an accounting major, won the University-wide Student Life Award at the Senior Toast in spring 2024. It fills us with great pride to see our students excel and achieve these amazing milestones!

In AY 2023-24, the department continued the very popular Leadership Series program. Hosted by Dean’s Executive Professor, Chris Paisley, this program provides an exciting opportunity for business students to meet executives in the industry who are SCU accounting alumni. Four speakers joined the Series and shared their amazing stories and leadership advice, including Eric Ludwig ’91, former CFO of Glue Mobile, Joseph Wattoo ’09, SVP of Commercial Strategy and Consumer Engagement at MGM, Jie Pan ’06, Controller at Atlassian, and Brigitte Ho ’95, Head of Internal Audit at Rivian.

The Accounting Advisory Board has provided invaluable support to the strategic mission of the department and counseled us on curriculum and other matters that improve the quality and relevance of our program. Over the last year, three members departed or retired from the Board, including David Price ‘85, a partner at E&Y (who joined the board in 2009), Kim McCormick, a partner at Grant Thornton (who joined the Board in 2013), Kathy Ryan ’78, Chair and Founder of RoseRyan (who joined the Board in 2005). We are also delighted to welcome four new members of the Board: David Murdock, a partner at Grant Thornton, Ian Nasman ’00, a partner at Deloitte, Kat Parineh ’07, a partner at E&Y, and Erika Shuper ‘07, a partner at Baker Tilly. In recognition of his tireless support and contribution to the accounting program, Joe Allanson ’85, a member of our Board since 2015 and the former EVP and Chief Accountant and Controller at Salesforce, was elected the Alumnus of the Year. Congratulations to Joe!

The recently formed Accounting Alumni Board, comprised of a diverse group of young accounting professionals, has worked closely with the Accounting Association to organize social events to provide mentorship and strengthen the connection between current students and the professional community. The Hut Night Social, for example, was a huge success, providing students with opportunities to network with alumni and fostering a sense of belonging and community.

In September 2024, Dr. Matthew Cedergren was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Cedergren joined the accounting faculty at SCU in Fall 2020, after five years on the faculty at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In joining Santa Clara University, Dr. Cedergren is returning to the Silicon Valley area after a decade in New York and Philadelphia. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Cedergren worked for six years in the Assurance practice of PwC in San Jose. His research interests include management forecasting and disclosure, capital markets and initial public offerings, insider trading and securities litigation, and the information content of accounting measures. At the Leavey School, Dr. Cedergren teaches ACTG 11 (Introduction to Financial Accounting) and ACTG 132 (Advanced Financial Accounting). Congratulations to Dr. Cedergren!

The accounting faculty continue to be thought leaders by publishing their scholarly work, presenting research at conferences and other universities, and engaging with the academic and professional community. Research of our faculty in the past year has covered topics such as board gender diversity disclosures, the disciplinary effects of disclosing corporate site visits, irregular patterns in reported gross margins, proprietary information cost of contracting with governments, and access to municipal bond credit rating. Faculty scholarship has resulted in articles published in prestigious academic journals, including The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, Management Science, and Review of Accounting Studies.

As we look forward to the New Year, I would like to extend my heart-felt appreciation to those of you who have contributed time and financial support to our program and students. Our success would not be possible without the help of our alumni, donors, and supporters – Thank you!