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Accounting E-News Spring 2020

John T. Steed School of Accounting | Spring 2020 E-News
Karen Hennes

Message from Karen Hennes, Interim Director of the Steed School of Accounting

Greetings from the John T. Steed School of Accounting at the University of Oklahoma. The spring 2020 semester has concluded, and it was one of the most unique and challenging semesters in recent history. Classes pivoted mid-semester to online, many events were cancelled or restructured, and students gave final presentations and celebrated May commencement virtually.

Despite the upheaval, our faculty and staff rallied to maximize student learning and support. The camaraderie and positive attitude of the Sooner family was never more apparent, and I am grateful for our partners and alumni who have honored student internship and employment offers and continued to support the School during these uncertain times. This e-Newsletter celebrates some of the recent achievements of our students, faculty, and alumni—before and after social distancing. 

We do not know what the future holds, but information about the tentatively scheduled August in-person commencement option is available here, and the latest announcements regarding OU's operational response to the pandemic are available here.

Congratulations to the class of 2020, and a big thank you to everyone who helped us get through this spring semester. I wish you all a safe and healthy summer.

Karen Hennes

Associate Professor
John W. Jr and Barbara J. Branch Professor of Accounting
Interim Director, Steed School of Accounting

School News
MAcc graduate names written in chalk on the concrete

Master of Accountancy Students Graduate

Though the spring 2020 graduation ceremony was held online, the decades-long tradition of Spring graduates lining up on the Brooks Street Mall was continued. OU faculty and staff inscribed in chalk the names of all OU graduates on the Brooks Mall sidewalk at the usual meeting place. Some of the Spring 2020 MAcc graduates’ names are pictured here.

In this academic year, 56 students graduated from the residential Master of Accountancy program. Public accounting continued to be the most common path for graduates entering the accounting profession; 75% of the graduates accepted jobs with public accounting firms at the Big 4, national, regional and local levels. Other 2019-20 graduates accepted positions in industry or plan to begin additional graduate studies.

In the online MAcc program, 11 students are expected to graduate in this academic year by the end of the summer, a 38% increase in the number of online students graduating compared to last year. The discipline and perseverance demonstrated by these online MAcc graduates, many of whom continue to work full-time while in the program, are to be commended!

As the online MAcc program continues to make graduate accounting education available to a diverse group of students, scholarship support is greatly needed and appreciated. There are currently no scholarships designated for online students. Please consider making a donation today by giving online or contacting the Price College Office of External Relations at (405) 325-7670. Be sure to designate your gift to the online master's program in the comments.

images of Accounting 2113 students attending class via Zoom

Accounting Curriculum Goes Online

Like all spring 2020 classes at OU’s Norman campus, courses offered by the Steed SOA were taught online for the last 6 weeks of the semester. Courses this summer will be offered online as well.

Some courses, including the two 165-student sections of Financial Accounting, held synchronous class meetings at the regular class time in Zoom (students pictured here). For Financial Accounting students, the transition to a total online learning environment was supported by students’ familiarity with online tools for homework, quizzes and exams that had been used since the beginning of the semester.

In other courses, SOA faculty members opted for an asynchronous approach and created pre-recorded presentations that allowed students the flexibility to watch the sessions on demand.

Accounting TAs (Sebastian Rodriguez Hernandez, Courtney Warren, Temi Ojekunle, Lexi Surko and Anthony Rayburn), offering Zoom office hours and screen sharing for students

Advanced Students Assist Sophomores Before and After Online Learning

Before the switch to online classes, these senior and BMAcc students answered the questions of Financial Accounting students during in-person Office Hours and Accounting Homework Party sessions. Pictured from left to right are Sebastian Rodriguez Hernandez, Courtney Warren, Temi Ojekunle, Lexi Surko and Anthony Rayburn (not pictured is Shea Worthington).

After the move to online learning, these advanced students continued to support beginning accounting students by offering TA office hours and Accounting Homework Parties in Zoom sessions. Peer Learning Assistants Temi Ojekunle, Lexi Surko and Sebastian Rodriguez Hernandez (shown here) consult as a student uses the Zoom “share screen” feature to ask a question about an online homework problem.

Internal Audit class Zoom with Michael Albritton of OU Internal Audit

Students Learn Online from Internal Audit Professionals

With the ease of Zoom video conferencing, students in SOA faculty member Jean Hale’s Internal Audit class were able to benefit from the experience of Michael Albritton of OU Internal Audit (pictured here). Other Zoom presentations were made to the class by internal audit professionals from Stinnett & Associates, the City of Oklahoma City, the Federal Reserve System and EY.

AACSB ACCREDITED

SOA Maintains AACSB Accreditation

Both the Steed School of Accounting and the Price College of Business recently received a five-year extension of our AACSB accreditation. AACSB offers worldwide accreditation of colleges of business, as well as supplemental accounting accreditation, and it is considered a mark of excellence held only by highest quality programs. During the 2019-2020 year, the School of Accounting prepared extensive reports on all aspects of our curriculum and operations, and a team of leaders from peer institutions inspected our materials and visited our campus in early March, 2020. This periodic review process allows the School to engage in strategic assessment of our programs and to receive external feedback with the goal of continuous dynamic improvements. The Steed School of Accounting has been AACSB-accredited since shortly after the School was formed in 1982. To read more about the School of Accounting and the Price College of Business’s AACSB accreditation extension, click here.

Price College of Business | John T. Steed School of Accounting | The University of Oklahoma

McLaughlin Prize

The 2019-20 McLaughlin Prize for Research in Accounting and Ethics was awarded to Jeffrey Cohen, Boston College; Jennifer Joe, University of Delaware; Jay Thibodeau, Bentley University; and Greg Trompeter, University of Central Florida, for their research paper, “Audit Partners’ Judgments and Decision Making Processes in the Audit of Internal Control over Financial Reporting.” The research findings, based on interviews with 20 highly experienced audit partners, have implications for audit practice and public policy related to financial reporting.

Student News
OSCPA Oklahoma Society of CPA's

Congratulations to Recipients of OSCPA Educational Foundation Scholarships!

This spring, the Oklahoma Society of CPAs Educational Foundation announced that 10 Steed School of Accounting students were awarded scholarships: Desiree Balmori, Tabitha Boothe, Madeline Finken, Peter Hardt, Heather Holliday, Mackenzie Koch, James Oplotnik, Logan Schoonover, Inaara Soomar and Jake Allen Thomas.

Morgan Losa

Steed SOA Student Morgan Losa Receives 2020 FSA Outstanding Accounting Graduate Award

Morgan Losa, a spring 2020 MAcc graduate, was named a recipient of the 2020 Federation of Schools of Accountancy Outstanding Accounting Graduate Award. Losa, from Keller, Texas, will join Deloitte in Dallas as an Audit Associate in the fall.

Meredith Prado

Meredith Prado Awarded FEI Scholarship

Meredith Prado, a spring 2020 MAcc graduate, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Oklahoma City chapter of the Financial Executives Institute. Prado, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, will join the Dallas office of PwC.

Rob Jennings

Students Recognized as Outstanding Seniors by Price College

Three exceptional Steed SOA students were recognized by Price College as Outstanding Seniors. Rob Jennings of Tulsa (shown here), also was recognized as a University Outstanding Senior. Jennings will pursue a Ph.D. in accounting at the University of Arizona. Also recognized was Riley Guy from Tulsa, who will join the firm HoganTaylor, and Claire Wilson from Bedford, Texas, who plans to start as an Audit Associate with EY in the fall.

Kaylyn Edwards

BMAcc student Passes 2 Parts of CPA Exam Before Graduating

Kaylyn Edwards, a BMAcc student from Kansas, Okla., passed the FAR and AUD parts of the CPA exam in the spring 2020 semester before graduating this spring. She took full advantage of a recent change in the BMAcc program to award the undergraduate degree before the final semester, allowing students to sit for the CPA exam before graduation. Edwards’ ability to commit to and carry out a plan will certainly be an asset to her as she successfully completes the exam before starting her career at PwC’s Tulsa office in October. Congratulations, Kaylyn!

Danielle Nickell

Danielle Nickell Recognized by Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence

This spring, Danielle Nickell, an accounting major from Lawton, was recognized by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence for her mentorship activities for the JCPenney Leadership Program, where Danielle serves as Director of Peer Trainers.

Beta Gamma Sigma | The International Business Honor Society

Accounting Students Inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society

Recently, four Steed SOA students were inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, an honor society for top students at business schools accredited by AACSB International. The students are Landry Arnold, a BMAcc senior from Dallas; Asha Chidambaram, an accounting/MIS junior from Norman; Nick Horiates, an accounting/finance senior from Dallas; and Jasmine Richards, an accounting junior from The Woodlands, Texas.

a group of OU students attend Phillips 66 annual accounting and finance forum

OU Students Attend Phillips 66 Annual Accounting/Finance Student Forum

OU accounting and finance majors attended the 3rd Annual Student Forum, held at the Phillips 66 Bartlesville office in February. Students had the opportunity to learn about career paths in accounting and finance, attend a panel discussion on the experiences of new employees and have some fun with bowling and trivia games. SOA faculty member Jean Hale and Division of Finance faculty member Tom Hooper accompanied the students.

Beta Alpha Psi  students interacting with Grant Thornton professionals

Beta Alpha Psi Update

The OU Beta Alpha Psi chapter was off to a strong start with high attendance this spring before events after Spring Break were cancelled. Pictured here are students interacting with Grant Thornton professionals at the ever popular “Meet the Firms Night.” At this year’s event, 65 accounting majors had the opportunity to meet accounting professionals from 11 different firms and Becker CPA Review.

Another popular offering by BAP this spring included a presentation on “Alternative Career Paths in Accounting and Finance” by Professor Alan Jagolinzer, Director of the Centre for Financial Reporting and Accountability at the University of Cambridge, a session described by students as “inspiring” and “life-changing.”

Additionally, BAP officers Michelle Mounsey and Inaara Soomar faculty were accompanied by faculty advisor Ashley Davis when traveling to the BAP Regional Meeting in New Orleans.

Kelly Ha and  Xiaoyan Hu

Ph.D. Students Present Research Findings at AAA Southwest Region Meeting

Ph.D. student Kelly Ha presented “Financial Statement Comparability and Big Bath Accounting,” co-authored with SOA Ph.D. student Lixuan Zhu, at the American Accounting Association’s Southwest Region meeting (held virtually) in March. Also at the meeting, Ph.D. student Xiaoyan Hu shared her research findings on “Proprietary Disclosure and Investment in Innovation: Evidence from the American Inventor’s Protection Act.”

Alumni News
Rachael Murphy

Rachael Murphy Receives Elijah Watt Sells Award

Rachael Murphy (BBA/MAcc, 2019) was one of 137 winners nationwide of the 2019 Elijah Watt Sells Award, given by the AICPA for earning a cumulative average score of more than 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination on her first attempt. Nearly 75,000 individuals sat for the CPA Exam in 2019. Murphy is on the staff of the Dallas office of KPMG. This is the second year in a row that this prestigious recognition was awarded to a Steed SOA BMAcc alum.

Phil Brockhaus

Phil Brockhaus, Chair of SOA Board of Advisors, Recognized by OSCPA

Phil Brockhaus (BBA, Accounting, 1969; MBA, 1970), who also is serving as the current chair of the Steed School of Accounting Board of Advisors, was named a 2020 Oklahoma Society of CPAs Path Finder, “an elite group of Oklahoma CPAs who are successful, well respected and devoted to their communities who are also deeply involved in mentoring new CPAs.”

Brittney Wycoff

Brittney Wycoff Named Partner

Brittney Wycoff (BBA, Accounting, 2004; Master of Accountancy, 2004) has been named a partner of HoganTaylor, one of the largest business advisory and public accounting firms in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Wycoff also serves on the Steed School of Accounting Board of Advisors.

Kelley Grace and family

Kelley Grace, Board of Advisors Member, Supports Norman Area United Way’s Response to COVID-19

Price College Board of Advisors member and alum Kelley Grace (Bachelor of Accountancy, 2000), her husband Patrick (MBA, 2002) and their family supported a United Way of Norman fundraiser for a COVID-19 response and recovery fund that raised $3,600.

Faculty News
Fran Ayres

Long-time Faculty Member Fran Ayres Retires

Fran Ayres, Price College Associate Dean for Faculty and Research Innovation and Dale Looper Chair in Accounting, retired at the end of the spring semester after nearly 40 years. During her academic career, Fran touched the lives of thousands of students and fellow academicians. Fran was the first tenure track female faculty member in the Steed School of Accounting, and the majority of her career has been spent in service as Division Director for the Steed School of Accounting, Associate Dean for Price College, and in leadership roles in several professional accounting and accreditation organizations.

In recognition of the extensive impact of her contributions of scholarly work, coupled with her commitment to the development of students and junior faculty, the College has established a fellowship, which will honor Fran by providing funds to support Price College female junior faculty and students. Recipients of this prestigious award will be recognized as the Frances L. Ayres Partners in Learning fellow and scholar, respectively. Please consider making an online contribution in her honor.

Brant Christensen

Brant Christensen Named to Editorial Board

SOA faculty member Brant Christensen recently was named to the editorial board of the highly regarded Contemporary Accounting Research, a global journal that publishes research on the role of accounting information “within organizations, markets or society.

Jean Hale

Jean Hale Hosts OEIAF

Faculty member Jean Hale hosted the Oklahoma Energy Internal Audit Forum, a quarterly event focused on issues impacting internal audit in the energy industry. Presentations included “Adding Value to Audit: Data Wrangling/ETL Tools” by Bryan Coleman, Will Marks and Kelsey Kitson of PwC’s Risk Assurance Practice and “You Can't Manage What You Can't Measure: Digital Transformation to Drive Ethics Initiatives” by EY professionals Nick Robertson, Nathan Hein and Emily McIntosh.


Steed SOA Faculty and Ph.D. Student Recognized With Price College Awards       

This spring, SOA faculty and students received the following 2020 Price College Awards:                                                                                                       

• Brant Christensen received the Hurley Roberson Award for Teaching Excellence

• Ashley Davis received the Tamara Pullin Partners in Learning Award

• Fran Ayres received the Purpose of Price® Award

• Ph.D. student Kelly Ha received the Ph.D. Student Research Award

Also, Brant Christensen and Bin Li were recognized by Price College for outstanding research published in the past year.

Steed SOA Board of Advisors - Call for Membership

The objectives for the Board of Advisors are to foster and support the missions of the Steed SOA. The Board does so in a number of ways, including thought leadership, curriculum development, student mentoring, and financial support. If you are interested in contributing your time to further the education and development of the Steed SOA and its students, please consider joining the Board of Advisors. For more information, contact Charles Woods.

CONTACT PRICE
University of Oklahoma
Price College of Business
307 West Brooks
Norman, OK 73019-4004
(405) 325-3611

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CONTACT SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTING
John T. Steed School of Accounting
307 W. Brooks
Adams Hall, Room 200
Norman, OK 73019-4004
(405) 325-4221

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