American Accounting Association
e American Accounting Association
(AAA) held its annual meeting in
Anaheim, August 3-7.
e theme, Brilliantly Disguised
Opportunities, highlighted both challenges
and hidden opportunities on the horizon
for higher education.
1
Topics of discussion included the
impact of Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOC's) on teachers, the effect
of disappearing print journals on
researchers, and the increasing demand
for accountability and related financial
pressures on colleges and universities.
2
1. Kelsey Dworkis (Melbourne), Kara Welles
(SMU), David Huelsbeck (Melbourne), Alicia
Yancy (Denver) and Purem Kim (PhD candidate,
2017)
2. Back to photographer, Cecil Jackson (USC),
Daniel O’Leary (USC) and former Dean of Leventhal School ofAccounting Doyle Williams
(AAA 2013 Lifetime Achievement Recipient)
3
3. Kevin Kobelsky (Michigan-Dearborn) and
Hai Lu (Rotman, Toronto)
4. James Hesford (École Hoteliere Lausanne,
Switzerland) and Waymond Rodgers
(Texas-El Paso)
5. Wim Van der Stede, (London School of
Economics) and David Huelsbeck (Melbourne)
6. Mark DeFond (USC), Franco Wong
(INSEAD France), Mark Vargas (Drexel) and
Mark Soliman (USC)
4
5
A reception honoring Leventhal
School founding Dean Doyle Williams,
(above right) recipient of the 2013
AAA Lifetime Achievement Award,
was hosted by current Leventhal
Dean Bill Holder, on August 6.
6
USC Leventhal School of Accounting
Summer Leadership Program
Success is built on the intersection of education,
practical experience, and the desire to excel.
The USC Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School
of Accounting are committed to offering outstanding high
school students preparation for collegiate success through
specialized academic and experiential programs. USC is
especially dedicated to creating programs that help develop
strong ties to our local community.“When we do so,” according to former President Stephen B. Sample, “everyone wins –
USC, our neighbors and the entire city of Los Angeles.”
A decade ago, the USC Leventhal School of Accounting launched the Summer Leadership Program for High School
Students. Its primary objective is to expose accounting and
business career opportunities to underrepresented minority
youth in public and private school
systems – and to spark interest in
higher education. SLP alumni
have gone on to graduate from
USC and other institutions of higher learning to accept jobs offered
by CPA firms and other business organizations.
Providing educational opportunities for underrepresented minority
students remains the goal of the Summer Leadership Program. It is
imperative that we promote diversity on campus and in the business
world beyond our gates. Our program continues to expand both the
number of student applicants and the number of traditional business
disciplines introduced to our students. Our publicity efforts are channeled through local radio stations, television, and student organizations
participating high schools. There is still a critical need for the program
at
Ken Simmonds
Summer Leadership
as the accounting profession, financial institutions, the Marshall School
Program Director
of Business, and the Leventhal School of Accounting suffer from a
dearth of ethnic diversity. The Summer Leadership Program provides
an opportunity to secure and increase a continued flow of qualified business majors with accounting
and/or finance emphasis from underrepresented minority groups.
The application process for a coveted spot in the summer program is highly competitive,
and the quality of students continues to rise,”says Professor Kendall L. Simmonds, Director of the
Summer Leadership Program. Along with Program Coordinator, Audrena Goodie, they have built
a solid program giving high school students an insight
into the application process for a four year university,
and what it is like to live, dine, learn, and sleep on
campus. Student participants are selected from thirty
five to forty high schools located mainly in the Los
Angeles area. The schools have included Belmont,
Bishop Montgomery, Compton, Culver City, King Drew
Magnet, Downtown Magnet, James Foshay, Manuel
Arts, Loyola and Verbum Dei. In the admission process
each student is required to submit an application and
come to the USC main campus for a ten to fifteen
minute in-person interview. For students who live out
of town there is an interview via Skype. All interviews
are conducted by SLP Board of Advisors, and representatives from the accounting firms. After the interview
process, students are notified within ten days of being accepted, or not, into the program.
We discovered that it is not that underrepresented students are academically unqualified, it
is that they are not aware of the opportunities that exist in the business world. Additionally, these
students do not understand the process of applying to a university. Our program is designed to help
students navigate academic and student loan funding possibilities they might never have known.
The week-long program begins with an overview of the program. On the first day of the
program, on the USC main campus, the admitted participants are assigned into groups of five with
two counselors per group. These counselors,
who volunteer from local accounting firms, reside
in the dormitories with the students and accompany the groups throughout each day. Given the
size of the program’s student population and the
need for professional guidance, we need at least
twenty-four counselors during the seven day
period. Participating firms have sent an average
of four counselors each to support the pool.
During the day the students attend
classes on accounting, marketing, finance,
entrepreneurship, communications – all taught
by professors from the University. There are also
workshops conducted by working professionals, technical experts, and career counselors who talk
about how to present oneself as a professional. Other activities have included field trips to major
movie studios, and to CPA firms, who alternately host
our SLP students on a day-long visit as students are
allowed to "shadow" professionals in their corporate
environment on a typical workday.
T he blue print to making a difference in
On the final day of the program, student groups
the world, to me, is making a positive
incorporate their newly acquired skills for creating a
impact in a young person’s life. is is
business model in a presentation based on their own
what SLP does! SLP changes the lives of
unique concept. Judges are SLP Board of Advisors and
youngsters after 10 years of coordinating
the audience is comprised of the students’ families and
such a magnificent program, I am
friends. Later that day, during a formal banquet at USC’s
grateful for the opportunity that has
Town and Gown Ballroom, awards are given to the
been bestowed upon me. You just can
student groups based on their collective knowledge
never get enough of the feedback from
and use of that knowledge in their presentation.
the alums, parents and guardians. ey
Our SLP Board of Advisors is comprised of
really get it!
partners from the major CPA firms including Deloitte,
Audrena Goodie
Ernst & Young and KPMG; senior officers from the
Program Coordinator
business world such as AT&T and; representatives from
Summer Leadership Program
the admissions offices of the University and Marshall
School of Business and faculty. As the program attains
As an SLP Board of Advisors member, I
greater visibility, business and civic leaders have been
am so very proud to support the
reaching out to participate. Our guest lecturers, besides
Leventhal School of Accounting’s
University faculty and staff, are senior officers from
effort to make a different in lives of
several businesses including the media industry. This
our youth. e caliber of high school
year, we were fortunate to hear from Assemblyman
students that participated in this year’s
Reginald Jones-Sawyer; Los Angeles Council member,
10th Anniversary Summer Leadership
Curren Price; and Aja Brown, Mayor of the City of
Program was phenomenal. Each year I
Compton. Both Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer and Mayor
continue to be amazed at how much the
Brown are alumni of USC. "It is crucial to the success of
students grow and learn in one week!
the program that the involvement and support of major
industrial and public leaders continues to rise."
Donovan Green
We continue to rely on the goodwill of faculty,
Director of External Relations,
staff,
AT&T
students
and
friends
of the Leventhal School. Historically, with an average of forty students participating in SLP each year,
the number of its alumni who have matriculated
to four-year universities continues to grow. Since
inception in 2003, the rate of SLP students who
have pursued a college education at USC has grown
from 4% to 38%.
Of the remaining 62%, 40% attended other institutions such as the UCs, California state
colleges and HBCU’s (historically black colleges and universities), and 20% attended community
colleges.
The program’s entire cost is underwritten by funding from Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG,
AT&T, and Mr. David Pyle, http://davidapyle.com/ an alumnus of USC’s Marshall School of Business.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, who funded the program for its initial five years continues to remain an
important presence in the Leventhal School.
“
”
Summer Leadership Program Alumni Association
“SLP fosters a community of leaders by encouraging students to achieve their highest potential through
a rigorous agenda and extraordinary expectations while providing unconditional support to ensure
the success of each student participant. e 10th anniversary of SLP demonstrates USC’s dedication
to equipping our future leaders with tools for success and celebrates the boundless accomplishments of
everyone involved in this life altering program.”
“e purpose of the Summer Leadership Program Alumni Association (SLPAA) is to provide
a networking opportunity for the alumni of the USC Summer Leadership Program SLP. Every summer
since 2003 the USC SLP has introduced at
least 40 high school students to the careers of
accounting and business during a one-week
stay on USC’s campus. Many of these students
have attended colleges and universities across
the nation and have ventured into a career
in business, science, fine arts, education, etc.
However, there hasn’t been a unified association to keep all of the SLP participants in
contact with one another. SLP fosters a
community of strong leaders regardless of the
future careers of our participants and it is
vital to stay connected with one another in order to expand our networks. is Association provides resources, support, and guidance to alumni through their college and professional careers which is a vital
component to add to the future success rate of the SLP.”
Christina Fennell
Chair, SLP Alumni Association, SLP Alum, Head Counselor for SLP
Audit Associate at KPMG
you are reading usc leventhal news... stay connected.
e Advantages of the USC Accounting Circle
“e Accounting Circle’s
mission is to make a
meaningful difference
through philanthropic
support, connection and
community to advance
academic excellence.”
Accounting Circle members attending the
2012 Annual Holiday Banquet
The
Accounting
Circle
Cathy Hyodo,the USC
Leventhal Accounting
Circle’s current chairman, addresses graduating students at the
2013 Commencement,
about the importance
of staying in touch
with Leventhal School
of Accounting and
service to the profession. Cathy is Audit
Partner, Grant Thornton Partner in Charge,
Grant Thornton’s
Southern California
Technology Industry
Practice.
Graduates who join the Accounting Circle,
Leventhal School of Accounting’s alumni
support, will be participating in the same
fundamental mission of USC and help
members of the Trojan Family connect with
Marshall School of Business, Leventhal
School of Accounting and the University.
Just before Commencement, the end of the
year bash is sponsored by the Accounting
Circle It is a graduation celebration, offering
the chance for networking with alums, and
spending some last minute quality time with
the faculty.
However, the Accounting Circle is more than
a networking arm. Members are instrumental in support and academic advancement in
the class rooms by providing scholarships;
student mentoring and career coaching
programs; faculty recruitment, curriculum
development and sponsoring or underwriting state-of-the-art facilities for Leventhal.
Scenes from Accounting Circle Graduation Bash
Facebook.com/USCLEVAccountingCircle We welcome news of your professional lives. You may send updates to: leventhal@marshall.usc.edu
Hawai’i Ohana Endowed Scholarship Fund Celebration
Dean Bill Holder joined by USC Marshall
and Leventhal alumni, parents and friends,
marked the launch of the long-awaited
Hawai’i Ohana Endowed Scholarship Fund
at a reception hosted by the Bank of Hawaii
on August 28 in Honolulu. A need-based
endowment, the fund will be used to offset
Marshall School of Business tuition expenses
for bright, qualified students from Hawai’i.
Co-Chairs, Peter Ho,CEO and Chairman of
Bank of Hawaii and Kent Tsukamoto, Managing Partner of Accuity LLP, officially announced
details of the endowment, while Dean Holder
provided updates on Leventhal and Marshall
Schools, and on the Campaign for USC.
Top photo, from left: Peter Ho, Chairman, President and CEO of Bank of Hawaii, a dual alumnus of Marshall
(Bachelor’s and MBA), Leventhal Dean Bill Holder, and Kent Tsukamoto, Managing Partner of Accuity LLP, an MBT
from Leventhal, and a proud parent of a Marshall alumna. Bottom left, from left: Paul Yamashita, Chris Pating
and Eric Su. Bottom right, from left: Kim Lau, Jean Tsukamoto and Patrick Yamada.
LEVENTHAL
FACULTY
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ACHIEVEMENTS
facultynews
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AWARDS
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HONORS
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GRANTS
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PUBLICATIONS
Sarah Bonner
Named to Ernst & Young LLP Professor of Accounting Position
Sarah Bonner, who has previously served as the Accounting Associates
Professor of Accounting, has been named to hold the Ernst & Young, LLP
Professor of Accounting position. Sarah’s scholarly accomplishments are
well known. She has published a book on judgment and decisionmaking issues in accounting, and numerous articles in the Journal of
Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, Accounting, Organizations
& Society, Contemporary Accounting Research, and other publications,
and her work is widely cited.
She also has received several mentoring and teaching awards including
the Mellon Award, the Evan C. Thompson Award, and the USC Parents’
Association Award. It is therefore only fitting that she be congratulated
on this new and well-deserved position. Although the professorship is Leventhal’s oldest,
dating to the 1970s, Sarah will be only the third individual to hold this title. Leventhal and
Marshall are most fortunate to have colleagues such as Sarah that add to the intellectual
richness and stature of the schools.
•••
Chrislynn Freed
2013 recipient of CalCPA’s Outstanding Accounting Educator Award
In a ceremony held in Los Angeles, Professor Freed received her Outstanding Accounting
Educator Award from Charlie Osaki, co-chair of CalCPA’s Accounting Education Committee.
The award recognizes contributions to accounting education
from demonstrated excellence in teaching and/or endeavors
in research over a sustained period of time through excellence
in teaching and mentoring, as evidenced by receiving various
awards or citations, developing curriculum, and new programs,
published articles and written textbooks for use in accounting
classes; plus significant involvement in professional and/or
academic societies and related activities.
Professor Freed’s many contributions to accounting education
have been demonstrated by her continued excellence in teaching
over a sustained period of time. She has also received the USC
Marshall School of Business “Golden Apple,” which is the best
educator as voted by the students.
She is also a recipient of the Mellon Foundation Undergraduate
Mentor Award as well as mentoring awards from the university. In 2008 she was awarded the
USC Parents Associating Teaching and Mentoring Award.“
•••
Professor Tom Lin
Receives CAPANA Honorary Fellow Designation
During the Chinese Accounting Professors’ Association of
North America (CAPANA) 38th Annual Meeting on August 5,
in Anaheim, CA, Tom Lin was named Honorary Fellow in
recognition of his founding of, and outstanding contribution
to, the organization. He was presented with an award plaque
by the CAPANA President.
CAPANA
Chinese Accounting Professors’ Association of North America
•••
IMA Honors Professor Ken Merchant
Winner of 2013 R. Lee Brummet Distinguished Award for Educators
The Institute of Management Accountants award recognizes
distinguished academics in the areas of management
accounting and financial management.
The IMA has named Professor Dr. Ken Merchant, CPA, University
of Southern California, the winner of its R. Lee Brummet Distinguished Award for Educators.
Dr. Merchant holds the Deloitte & Touche LLP Chair in Accountancy
at the USC Marshall School of Business. He previously served as
Senior Associate Dean of Corporate Programs at the Marshall School
of Business and as Dean of USC’s Leventhal School of Accounting.
Prior to joining USC, he taught at Harvard University and the
University of California, Berkeley.
Professor Merchant is an expert in management accounting, management control systems,
corporate governance and ethics. “IMA is pleased to acknowledge the impressive contributions
Dr. Merchant has made, in and out of the classroom, to the field of management accounting,”
He has received numerous awards, including three Notable Contributions to Research awards
from the American Accounting Association, two for lifetime contributions to the field.
•••
Professor Ken Simmonds
Winner of “Tommy” Leadership Award
Professor Ken Simmonds received the"Tommy"Leadership
Award"on Friday, June 13 at the McKay Center. The inscription reads, "Accounting Circle Board Member of the Year,
2012-2013 Ken Simmonds, For your exemplary leadership
and dedication."
L E V E N T H A L
H A P P E N I N G S
Congratulations to
Randy Beatty
a recipient of
Marshall's
Golden Apple
Teaching Award
Spring 2013,
for Core MBA
/
et cetera
Eric Allen and
Mark Young discuss good
times from last semester
A C H I E V E M E N T S / H O N O R S
/
A W A R D S
Congratulations to
Zivia Wilson Sweeney
a recipient of
Marshall's
Golden Apple
Teaching Award
Spring 2013,
for BUAD 280
Kari Olsen from Leventhal School of Accounting
has been awarded The Marshall PhD Teaching Award
for Academic Year 2012-2013. Kari has been chosen
among PhD students who served as co-instructors
during Summer 2012, Fall 2012 and Spring 2013.
He will receive a prize of $500.00 and a certificate.
We take pleasure in congratulating Kari for this
achievement!
Daniel Elnathan,
former Leventhal
professor, currently
at The College of
Management Academic Studies
(COMAS), Israel,
visits with
Ingrid McClendon
and Linda Ramos
Leventhal students
Nicole Wolfe,
MAcc major and
Jessica Woo,
MBT major
were awarded the
AICPA John L. Carey
Scholarship. Only ten
students recieve this
honor nationwide
Eric Allen
and Mark Young
discuss good times
from last semester
Jeff McMullin and
James Stekelberg
before heading
out for their new
faculty positions
Professor Mark DeFond,
A.N. Mosich Chair
in Accounting and
Professor of Accounting,
has been named
senior editor of
The Accounting Review.
Professor DeFond will
assume the duties of
"TAR" senior editor in
late spring 2014