Accounting Newsletter Summer 2022

2021-2022 Graduation Update

For the 2021-2022 academic year, 139 accounting majors graduated with their bachelor of business degrees. Most of these graduates have already accepted accounting positions with employers or plan to continue their education in graduate school.

Fifty-eight students graduated from the residential students graduated from the residential Master of Accountancy (B.B.A./M.Acc.) program. Public accounting continued to be the most common path for M.Acc. graduates entering the accounting profession, as 83% of the graduates had accepted jobs with public accounting firms at the Big 4, national and regional levels. Other 2021-22 graduates accepted positions in industry or plan to begin additional graduate studies. 

The online M.Acc. program also continues to grow, with current enrollment of 146 students; 54 students are expected to graduate in this academic year through the end of the summer. 

Kirk H. Fritschen Endows Scholarship

Kirk Fritschen (B.B.A., 1981) has endowed a new scholarship for accounting students. Fritschen, an Oklahoma native from Bartlesville, began his career in public accounting with Arthur Young & Co. in Midland, Texas before opening his own CPA practice that served clients for 35 years. When establishing his endowment, Fritschen (shown with his wife, Veronica), noted, “All of my success in my profession is directly attributable to my education at the University of Oklahoma.” We celebrate the career successes of our alumni and are grateful for those who give back to support future generations of students.

McLaughlin Prize for Research in Accounting and Ethics

The McLaughlin Prize for Research in Accounting and Ethics was established in 1997 to recognize high-quality research in accounting ethics. The 2021-22 McLaughlin Prize was awarded to Jonas Heese, Harvard Business School; Gerardo Pérez-Cavazos (shown accepting award from SOA Director Karen Hennes), UCSD Rady School of Management; and Caspar David Peter, Rotterdam School of Management, for their manuscript, “When executives pledge integrity: The effect of the accountant’s oath on firms’ financial reporting.” The research found that Dutch firms with CEOs and CFOs who were required to pledge an integrity oath as recipients of professional accounting degrees engaged in less overall earnings management in their financial statements.

Study Abroad Accounting Course Returns to Arezzo, Italy

After a two-year hiatus, study abroad programs are resuming at selected sites, and the SOA returned to Arezzo this summer as part of a sophomore Price College of Business study abroad program. Faculty member Joe Dulin and a group of twenty-seven students are excited for this opportunity to experience and explore Tuscany while learning managerial accounting. 

Price College MBP Spring 2022 Accounting Graduates

The Price College Multicultural Business Program provides mentoring and academic support services to underrepresented minority populations in business. Spring 2022 accounting graduates who participated in the MBP program are Tori Jenkins, Keyve Martin and Peace Mojekwu. Jenkins (B.B.A.) will join EY in Dallas as a consultant. Martin (B.B.A.), who plans to pursue an accounting career at a later time, will join Royal Caribbean Cruises as a dancer and choreographer. Mojekwu (B.B.A./M.Acc.) has accepted a position as a tax associate with EY in Oklahoma City.

Outstanding Accounting Seniors

Congratulations to Addison Newman, Addison Sork and Matthew Mays who were named Price College Outstanding Seniors and recognized at the Price College Honors Luncheon in April! Addison Newman was also recognized as an Outstanding Senior in a campus-wide ceremony.

PCAOB Awards Scholarship to Olivia Griffin

Olivia Griffin, B.B.A./M.Acc. student from Colleyville, Texas, was selected as a 2022-2023 PCAOB Scholar and will receive a $10,000 scholarship. Griffin plans to join KPMG in Dallas as an audit associate after completing her B.B.A. (accounting and MIS) and M.Acc. studies.

Carter Sampson Receives 2022 FSA Award

Carter Sampson, from Tempe, Arizona, was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Accounting Graduate Award by the Federation of Schools of Accountancy. Sampson was inspired to major in accounting by a family member who is an accounting professor. A May 2022 B.B.A./M.Acc. graduate, Sampson will begin the Ph.D. program at the University of Washington this fall and plans to become an accounting educator.

Giao Nguyen Awarded FEI Scholarship

Giao Nguyen was awarded the 2022 Financial Executives Institute Scholarship. Nguyen, who was born in Vietnam, moved to Oklahoma City with her family when she was a child. With strong math skills, accounting came naturally to Nguyen.  After completing a B.B.A./M.Acc. degree in December 2022, Nguyen plans to start her career in public accounting.

Temi Ojekunle Named Outstanding Peer Learning Assistant

Temi Ojekunle, B.B.A./M.Acc. student, was named the Outstanding Peer Learning Assistant (PLA) by the OU Student Learning Center for the 2021-2022 academic year. Ojekunle has served as a PLA for Financial Accounting and Intermediate Accounting classes at Accounting Homework Parties since fall 2019. Congratulations to Ojekunle on also passing four parts of the CPA Exam in spring 2022! She will join EY after graduation.

Ph.D. Student Recognized by University for Teaching

Ph.D. student Yue "Mark" Ma was named a recipient of the Provost’s Certificate of Distinction in Teaching in recognition of his teaching performance in AIS during the fall 2021 semester. The certificate recognizes “the hard work and dedication of outstanding graduate students who teach at OU.” Ma is completing his fourth year in the doctoral program.

Jake Thomas Receives Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

B.B.A./M.Acc. student Jake Thomas was named the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant by the OU Graduate Student Senate based on campus-wide nominations from faculty and students. Thomas, a teaching sssistant for SOA faculty member Mina Herron, was recognized for his work with students enrolled in the Financial Accounting and AIS courses.

Graduate Students Earn Data Analytics Certification

Several students in the new Accounting Data Analytics class, taught by Ashley Davis, and offered for the first time in fall 2021, demonstrated their newly acquired skills by passing the Alteryx Designer Core Certification Exam. Congratulations to Heather Holliday, Chris McCabe, Peace Mojekwu and Jack Shapard for earning this external credential! Davis (pictured) was invited to attend the Alteryx Inspire conference, the annual community conference, with an emphasis on SparkEd, the Alteryx education program. 

Steed SOA Students Graduate with Perfect GPAs                       

• Catherine G. Easterling from Tulsa, Oklahoma
  
• Kolten M. Kemper from Jenks, Oklahoma
• Nicholas R. Martin from Richardson, Texas
• Mesa R. Morris from Owasso, Oklahoma
• Madelyn J. Musson from Shawnee Mission, Kansas                              
• Addison L. Newman from Plano, Texas
• Carter B. Sampson from Tempe, Arizona
• Nicole M. Shroyer from Allen, Texas

Finance Students Use Accounting Knowledge in CFA Competition

Finance majors Alex Holt, James Beers and Rhett Manley advanced to the Americas Final of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge competition in April. Shown here with team coach and finance faculty member Jason Turkiela, the team was one of only three teams from U.S. universities that remained in the global competition. At Price College, finance majors are required to take Intermediate Accounting I and II as well as Financial and Managerial Accounting. "I always inform my finance students that they will be well-served by taking as much accounting as they possibly can. The CFA Research Challenge is the perfect example of this. Simply stated, there is no way to value a company without understanding its accounting," Turkiela said. "The success of the OU CFA Research Challenge team in the competition is a testament to both the quality of our students and the quality of the accounting instruction at the Steed School.“

Spring 2022 OU Campus Awards Recognize Steed SOA Students

Mackenzie Reeves of Moore was one of four OU students to receive the President’s Award for Outstanding Sophomores. SOA student Karsen Heron from Edmond, pictured with President Joe Harroz Jr. and Dean of Students David Surratt, was named to the Letzeiser Honor List for good citizenship and achievement through academic accomplishments and campus/community involvement. Congratulations to Reeves and Heron!

Beta Alpha Psi Update

Beta Alpha Psi had a full slate of online meetings this semester, including a virtual “Meet the Firms Night,” and hopes to return to more in-person events this fall.  Attendees at the spring initiation ceremony are pictured here. Officers elected for the fall 2022 semester include: Brooks Hasselman, president; Victoria Agee, vice-president; Sadie Roberts, treasurer; Greg Thomson, reporter; Emily Black, social chair; and Madison Prince, philanthropy chair.

Students Attend Phillips 66 Forum

Accounting and finance students Trace Delarosa, Manuvel Sibichan, Aylin Mendez and Brandon Lopez had an opportunity to learn more career paths in energy at the Phillips 66 Accounting & Finance Student Forum held in Bartlesville this spring. The students were accompanied by faculty member Jean Hale.

Students Learn From Professionals

We continue to incorporate guest lecturers and special visits from professionals on relevant technical topics, either in-person or via video conference. For example, special guests in faculty member Jean Hale’s Internal Audit class this spring included professionals from EY, MidFirst Bank, and OU Internal Audit, and SEC Regional Director David Peavler described the SEC’s investigative process in a Fraud Examination Course.

Alumna Receives Medal on CPA Exam

Suzanna Downey (B.B.A./M.Acc., 2021) was awarded a Gold Medal by the Oklahoma Society of CPAs for achieving the highest score on all four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination in window three in 2021. Downey is an audit associate with RSM US in Oklahoma City.

Todd Chandler Recognized as Price College Distinguished Alumni

Todd Chandler (B.B.A., accounting, 1986) was named a 2022 Distinguished Alumni by Price College of Business. After graduating from OU, the Oklahoma City native joined Chevron, where he held positions in accounting and finance. Later, Chandler pursued a law degree at the University of Texas at Austin and joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he worked for more than two decades. He currently serves on the Price College Board of Advisors.

OSCPA Awards 2022 Trailblazer Award to Colin Kennedy

Colin Kennedy (B.B.A., finance, 2012; M.Acc., 2014) was named a recipient of the 2022 Oklahoma Society of CPAs Trailblazer Award. The Trailblazer Award honors the innovation, professional dedication and community commitment of the OSCPA's new CPAs, defined as members who are under 40 (must be under age 40 as of December 31 in the year of the nomination) or have five or fewer years of CPA experience. Kennedy was cited for his “boldness and willingness to step up” in building his company’s internal audit department, managing CPE attendance for the OSCPA’s Oklahoma City chapter, and his volunteer service for Hope is Alive Ministries. Kennedy currently serves as vice president of internal audit at Bank7.

Alums Prepare for Careers in Academia

Clay Partridge (B.B.A./M.Acc., 2010) completed his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020. In fall 2022, Partridge will join the accounting faculty at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University as an assistant professor. Partridge was with PwC in Dallas for five years before beginning the Ph.D. program.

Cassie Mongold (B.B.A./M.Acc., 2013) has completed the Ph.D. program at the University of Texas-Austin and will serve as a post-doctoral Fellow at the FASB for the next year before joining the faculty at the University of Illinois. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program, Mongold was employed by EY in Dallas.

Alumni Updates

Below is a selection of recent alumni updates:
 

• Tim Marley (B.B.A., accounting, 1990) starts a new position as Field CISO & VP Audit, Risk & Compliance at Cerberus Sentinel.

• Kelley Grace (B.B.A., accounting, 2000), tax partner at Eide Bailly, transitions to Eide Bailly Financial Services.

• Jon Mattingly (B.B.A., accounting, 2000) was named executive director of consumer lending at Arvest Bank.

• Meghan Bruner (B.B.A., finance, 2002; M.Acc., 2008) joins Mesa Advisory as a tax partner.

• Caitlin Esparza (B.B.A/M.Acc., 2011) joins Prudential Financial as director, financial reporting. 

• Chris Johnston (B.B.A./M.Acc., 2012) starts a new position as senior director of technical accounting and reporting at Vistra Corp. in Dallas.

• Blake Masterson (B.B.A., accounting/finance, 2014) starts a new position as manager of corporate development at Love's Travel Stops.

• Carson Smith (B.B.A., accounting, 2016) joins Echo Investment Capital as assistant controller.

• Tyler Welch (M.Acc., 2021) joins Pacific Service Credit Union as assistant controller.
 

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Brant Christensen Named Outstanding Reviewer

Faculty member Brant Christensen has been named a recipient of the Outstanding Reviewer Award by The Accounting Review,  the premier accounting academic research journal of the American Accounting Association. We have been happy to have Christensen as part of our faculty and wish him a fond farewell as he returns to his own alma mater for the upcoming school year.

Wayne Thomas Included in Ranking of Top Scientists in Economics and Finance

Associate Dean and SOA faculty member Wayne Thomas recently was included in Research.com’s 2022 ranking of the Top 1,000 Scientists in Economics and Finance.

Price College Recognizes SOA Faculty and Ph.D. Student

This spring, SOA faculty and students received the following 2022 Price College awards:

• Professor Beth Stetson (pictured here with Dean Corey Phelps) received the Business Ethics Award
• Professor Ashley Davis was named the Frances L. Ayres Partners in Learning Fellow
• Ph.D. student Ling Zhang was named the Frances L. Ayres Partners in Learning Scholar
• Professor Heejin Ohn was named the Tamara Pullin Partners in Learning Fellow
• Ph.D. student Hunter Aku received the Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award

Also, Bradley Blaylock, Brant Christensen and Wayne Thomas were recognized by Price College for outstanding research published in the past year.

New Faculty Joins SOA

Jonathan Kern (B.B.A./M.Acc., 2014) joined the SOA faculty in spring 2022. Kern worked in public accounting for seven years previously, providing both audit and tax services. He will teach Financial Accounting and Intermediate Accounting II. Outside of accounting, Kern enjoys participating in community theatre.

SOA Faculty to Retire in Summer

Ervin L. Black, professor and John T. Steed Chair of Accounting joined the School of Accounting in 2014. Black served as director of the SOA from 2015 to 2018 and director of executive education at Price College from 2018 to 2020. Black, a widely published researcher, is a pioneer in research on international accounting standards and Non-GAAP reporting and served as president of the International Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association. Black was instrumental in the launch of the SOA online M.Acc. program and the Executive M.B.A. in Aerospace and Defense. In addition, he introduced the first SOA Study Abroad course on International Financial Statement Analysis.

Cindy Cuccia, lecturer, is retiring after 16 years of teaching at OU. Over the years, she taught thousands of students in Financial Accounting and Intermediate Accounting I and II courses. Cuccia was a key organizer of the Accounting Homework Parties and a pillar of our undergraduate program. She will be missed, and we are grateful for her efforts to pass on her classroom techniques to our next generation of instructors.