Deloitte: Tax and audit alumni to pursue Ph.D.s and careers in academia

By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Foundation’s 2012 Accounting Doctoral Scholars (ADS) has included ix former Deloitte audit and tax professionals.

This year’s Deloitte alumni award recipients and their Ph.D. institution affiliations are:

• Shannon Chen – University of Texas (Austin, TX.)
• Matthew Erickson – University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ.)
• Nicholas Hallman- University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)
• Anne Podany-University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)
• R. William Snyder-University of Illinois (Champaign, IL)
• Brandon Szerwo-University of Washington (Seattle, WA)

Launched in 2008, the Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program was created by the AICPA Foundation with the support of the Deloitte Foundation, a consortium of large accounting firms, and CPA societies to help alleviate the shortage of Ph.D. accounting faculty in auditing and tax at colleges and universities in the United States. Designed to support practitioners who are interested in attaining Ph.D.s in accounting and pursuing careers in academia, each ADS program recipient receives a stipend of $30,000 per year for up to four years of enrollment.

Shaun Budnik, president of the Deloitte Foundation comments:

“The shrinking pipeline of qualified Ph.D.s to teach and develop accounting students continues to be one of the most significant talent challenges facing our profession today,” he said.  “The Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program is vital to addressing the growing faculty shortage by supporting practitioners who are committed to advancing research and fostering the next generation of professionals and future leaders.  We congratulate the Deloitte alumni who were selected for this honor.”