Academic Program Review SUMMARY*
Department under review:_Accountancy______________________________
Date self-study received in Dean’s office: Aug. 6,2013
Date of external consultant’s review: April 24, 2013
Date APR received report: Sept. 20, 2013
APR’S summary of self-study (first two boxes must be completed)
APR’s summary of how the academic program attempts to reach its goals and objectives
and the extent to which those goals and objectives have been achieved.
As part of the mission to develop accounting professionals, the Department of Accountancy offers
a major and a minor in accounting to students that have been admitted to the College of Business
Administration (CBA). During the period of this self-study, the department graduated an average
of around 64 majors and 22 minors a year. The major curriculum, which is in compliance with
their accreditation agency, is typical of that provided by similar institutions and prepares the
students for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. UW-L students generally rank well
nationally for the percentage of first time candidates (without advanced degrees) who passed all
four sections of the CPA exam (in 2013 UW-L ranked 24th in the nation out of 262 schools). To
further the goal of providing an environment that supports the personal, professional and
intellectual development of its students, department faculty participate in a CBA program for
mentoring students of color and the program offers a large number of internship opportunities to its
students.
In support of the College of Business Administration’s mission, the department offers three courses
(ACC 221 - Principles of Accounting I, ACC 222 - Principles of Accounting II, and BUS 205 –
The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business) that are required for admission into the CBA, and
also BUS 405 – The Law of International Business Transactions, which contributes to the
International Business major.
APR’s comments including:
Notable Strengths
1. Strong assessment program
2. Large number of internship opportunities
3. 100% employment of accounting graduates, with over 97% in positions related to major
4. High passage rate for all four sections of the CPA exam for first time candidates
5. Excellent external funding support for numerous student scholarships
Notable Weaknesses
1. Compensation issues have led to difficulties in hiring and retention of faculty and low morale
2. Space issues for offices and classrooms
APR comments on any/all of the six specific components of the self-study (if applicable)
Self Study: Purposes
The department’s overall goals and objectives are listed as (1) “to investigate and teach accounting
and its related fields”, (2) “to provide an environment that supports the personal, professional and
intellectual development of all its constituents (student, faculty and staff)” and (3) “to support the
goals and objectives of the College of Business Administration”.
Self Study: Curriculum
The Department of Accountancy offers one major program and one minor program in accounting.
The major and minor are open to any students admitted to the College of Business Administration.
The Accountancy degree requires a total of 28 credits beyond the Principles of Accounting
(ACC221: Principles of Accounting I /ACC222: Principles of Accounting II). Prior to the 2013
spring semester, the 28 credits consisted of 9 required courses. (Recently, the curriculum changed
to 8 core courses and 1 elective course.) The Accountancy minor requires a total of 13 credits
beyond the principles level.
Outside of the Accounting degree, the department also offers BUS405: The Law of International
Business Transactions, a required course in the International Business major. In addition, the
department offers BUS 205: The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business. BUS205 and the
principles courses (ACC221/222) are required of all students for admission into the College of
Business Administration. These courses are also required for students minoring in Business
Administration in other colleges.
Most students in accounting plan to become Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Prior to taking
the CPA exam, students must have taken 150 credits. This number is set by the individual state
boards of accountancy. The average number of student credit hours (SCH) at graduation in the past
6 years is between 145.1 and 150.9 for the major and between 126.8 and 134.9 for the minor.
However, the average years to degree is still reasonable (4.5 years or fewer since 2007-08). Many
institutions offer a 5th year master’s program to allow their students to reach the 150 credits;
however, the Department of Accountancy at UW-L does not currently offer a master’s in
accountancy. Many students double major and/or include an internship experience to increase their
earned credit hours to 150 by the time of graduation.
Self Study: Assessment of Student Learning & Degree of Program Success
The College of Business Administration established an Assurance of Learning Task Force in fall of
2009, which led to the development of overarching CBA student learning outcomes and a
framework for the assessment throughout the college. (In fact, CBA received a 2013 Council for
Higher Education Accreditation Award “for its use of outcomes assessment to improve student
learning in its undergraduate program, utilizing a faculty-driven team that directs a strong
assessment culture”.) The Accountancy program has a course-embedded assignment in ACC 222 Principles of Accounting II that is used as one measure to assess the CBA learning outcome
concerning critical thinking. In 2010, the Accountancy department established clearly defined
learning outcomes for competency in the major and has been updating LX forms to incorporate
student learning outcomes for the individual courses. Both direct (mainly in the form of courseembedded assignments) and indirect (CPA exam passage rates) measures are used for assessment.
The timeline and process for analyzing the data collected is well thought out and clear, and course
modifications initiated in response to the assessment results are reported by instructors as part of
the department biennial reports.
Self Study: Previous Academic Program Review and New Program Initiatives
The previous APR review was for the entire CBA, but one of the concerns specifically addressed
the Department of Accountancy. The report indicated a need for improvement in the portfolios of
intellectual contributions by the faculty. This issue has been addressed, in part, through faculty
turnover and through increased research activity in the department. Another concern, that is still
continuing, has been the difficulty in attracting, hiring, and retaining qualified faculty, in part due
to the inability to offer competitive compensation.
The faculty is fully staffed now and so for new initiatives the department anticipates offering more
elective courses in the future to provide students with more options for their elective. A full staff
also will allow the department to contemplate adding a 5th year master’s degree.
Self Study: Personnel
As of Fall 2011, the Department of Accountancy now consists of 7 tenure-track positions and 6
instructional academic staff (IAS). Due to the demands of the accountancy program, 4.5 new
positions (2 faculty and 2.5 instructional academic staff [IAS]) were added to the department
between 2007 and 2012. The department hired 5 faculty and 1 IAS to fill retirements/resignations
between 2007 and Fall 2012. The normal full-time teaching load is five courses (15 credit hours)
for IAS and four courses (12 credit hours) for faculty. Faculty receive a one-course reduction under
the condition that they maintain their “participating member” and “academically or professionally
qualified” status and continue to meet the college’s scholarly productivity standards. According to
the summary of the portfolio of intellectual contributions between 2007-2012, faculty and IAS
contributed 24 to learning and pedagogical research, 27 to research, and 37 to discipline-based
research. Recent new faculty hires have improved the portfolio of the department. While the
department hired a few faculty members from 2007-2012, it also experienced numerous failed
searches due to the inability to offer competitive compensation and teaching load. The department
is concerned about competitive salaries, lack of salary increases, and the resulting salary
compression/inversion due to the recent hires. Over the next five years, the department anticipates
3-4 retirements. The department identifies searching for qualified hires and retaining current
faculty and staff as a challenge.
Self Study: Support for Achieving Academic Program Goals (Resources)
The department of accountancy is currently housed in Wimberly Hall. Faculty offices are spread
over three floors, which make department interaction difficult. In a couple of years, the College of
Business Administration is scheduled to move to Wittich Hall after the renovation, and the
department hopes this move will solve this issue.
The department has been allocated 3 classrooms in W. Carl Wimberly Hall. However, one of the
classrooms can only hold a maximum of 25 students, which makes it difficult for the department to
effectively utilize the room. Additionally, a large number of classes are currently scheduled in
Centennial Hall. Regarding funding, the department’s current supplies and equipment (S&E)
budget is adequate for achieving the program goals. External funding comes from many accounting
firms and organizations to support student scholarships.
External Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on External Reviewer (if applicable)
The Accreditation Agency report addressed the entire CBA and commended the college on a
variety of strengths and effective practices; extending the accreditation another five years. They
did suggest that the college continue to work to enhance the quality and quantity of intellectual
contributions from faculty. Another recommendation to the departments, including Accountancy,
was to revisit the definitions of academic qualification (AQ) and professional qualification (PQ), in
accordance with new standards. This would include upgrading the CBA Scholarly Productivity
Guidelines, which are the criteria identifying experiences and activities for the initial determination
and maintenance of qualifications, in part to ensure consistent application of the qualifications in
decisions such as the hiring and retaining of faculty.
Department’s response to the Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on the Department’s Response (if applicable)
Since the report was for the college as a whole, the Dean responded to the Accreditation Report
rather than the department. The college plans two major initiatives to respond to the report, one of
which affects the Department of Accountancy. For this initiative, faculty qualifications will be
revised in accordance with the new standards – this will include upgrading the CBA Scholarly
Productivity Guidelines and revising the activities for professional engagement.
Dean’s Letter
APR’s Comments on Dean’s Letter (if applicable)
The Dean’s letter highlighted a number of strengths of the accountancy program, including the
strong internship program, employment at 100% for accountancy majors with over 97% in
positions related to their majors, and the department’s high ranking in passage rates for the CPA
exam. He also pointed out that the department has always been above the UWL SCH/IFTE ratio
except for fall 2011. Finally he noted that recent new hires have improved the department’s
portfolio of intellectual contributions, which the external consultant had previously highlighted as a
concern, and the upcoming remodel of Wittich Hall will alleviate some of the space issues.
APR’s Recommendations (must be completed)
Recommendations:
1. Continue the excellent assessment program.
2. Maintain the high number of internship opportunities available to the students.
3. As part of the department’s strategic planning, include ways to enhance the quality and
quantity of faculty’s intellectual contributions, with attention to the new designations and
guidelines.
4. Be involved in the planning process for the Wittich Hall remodel to ensure that the
Department of Accountancy is fairly represented and receives a sufficient and cohesive,
workable space.
5. Work with the administration to alleviate issues of salary compression and inversion.
X No serious areas to address – review in next regularly scheduled cycle
□ Some areas to address – review in next regularly scheduled cycle
□ Some areas to address – department should submit short report on progress to Faculty
Senate/Provost’s Office in 3 years
* APR’s report to faculty senate will consist of this completed form in electronic form.