New Board Members Appointment
Ledger & Quill welcomes two new members to its board: Ernie Fiorante (BUS ’91) and Joyce Carson (BUS ’90, MAC ’90). Fiorante is the chief financial officer for Inland Real Estate and Carson is the vice chancellor of finance and business enterprise for the City Colleges of Chicago. We look forward their service and contributions to furthering L&Q’s vision.
New Scholarships Support Student Success
Ledger & Quill is a benevolent giving society. Thanks to the generosity of several alumni, additional scholarship support is available for DePaul accounting students. Russ Romanelli (BUS ’84, MST ’88), managing partner of BKD, along with five BKD partners, four of whom are DePaul alumni, initiated the BKD Scholarship. The scholarships will be awarded to School of Accountancy and Management Information Systems (SOAMIS) students who are in good academic standing and have financial need.
An alumnus that continues to stay involved with the university through his connection to faculty with his time and expertise, Paul Lau (MST ’80), Partner at Plante Moran, generously established the Lau Family Award for scholarship support of undergraduate and graduate SOAMIS students.
Students Compete in Melvoin Symposium Ethics Essay Contest
SOAMIS held the 14th annual Charles Melvoin Student Ethics Symposium April 20, bringing them together with a panel of judges, faculty and staff for this year’s student ethics competition that featured $3,000 in Melvoin scholarships.
The winner of the 14th annual Charles Melvoin Student Ethics Symposium was Jorge Mejia and the runners up were Amanda Leichliter and Talha Ahmed. Judges this year included Tyson May (BUS ’00), president of L&Q and partner at Deloitte, Brian Whitfield from RSM, and Beth Murphy and Willie Reddic, both accountancy professors at DePaul.
Three students were awarded scholarships out of a field of 44 submissions. The winner was Jorge Mejia and the runners up were Amanda Leichliterand Talha Ahmed. Judges this year included Tyson May (BUS ’00), president of L&Q and partner at Deloitte, Brian Whitfieldfrom RSM, and Beth Murphy and Willie Reddic, both accountancy professors at DePaul.
The essay contest and symposium are sponsored by the school’s Charles Melvoin Fund, which provides the annual Melvoin Scholarships.
Fred Lang Case Competition Challenges Students to Assess Market Risk
The Fred Lang Student Case Competition, another donor-funded student competition, returned this year with three student group teams delivering well-constructed case analyses to a panel of accounting practitioners, and fielding judges’ tough questions on May 17. The case focuses on the risks of expanding into new foreign markets, such as Nigeria.
After deliberation, a group from Accounting Instructor Patti Smith’s class–Devan Eager, Zhenya Qi, Patrick Baldysand Anthony Sanchez–took top honors, with National Association of Black Accountants members Jerome Dotson, TamaraTillman, Zack Moi and Imani Flowers coming in second. Judges this year were Bel Needles, EY Professor of Accounting, Jennifer Gart from Citadel, and Gordon Schwartz from BDO. This year’s case was developed by Prof. Wendy Heltzer. Click here for photos from the event.
Faculty Development Fund Supports Teaching and Scholarship
The Ledger & Quill Faculty Development Fund provides ongoing support for faculty research projects, for travel to other universities to work on co-authored projects, and for presenting research papers at scholarly conferences and professional gatherings that increase knowledge and enhance teaching effectiveness.
Over the last year the fund has been used to support faculty attendance at conferences related to their teaching development and research agendas. Some examples of faculty using the fund include Christine Gimbar attending an American Accounting Association (AAA) conference on accounting behavior and organizations, L&Q Professor Mark Frigo attending a Harvard Business School case study seminar, and KPMG Neil F. Casson Endowed Professor Sandra Shelton attending AAA sponsored conferences on diversity and big data. Other faculty using the fund for conferences are EY Professor Bel Needles, Assistant Professor Willie Reddic, and Assistant Professor Stephani Mason.
A gift to the Faculty Development Fund supports essential, high-level academic work that advances knowledge, enhances teaching and fulfills the aspirations of talented students. To find out more about the fund, please contact jlong20@depaul.edu. Read more here.
Students and Their Organizations Shine at All Student Awards
The SOAMIS annual All Student Awards Banquet was held on May 26 at the University Center. It was a great night for students and student groups to receive recognition for their academic excellence and meet members from the generous firms who sponsor the awards. Click here for photos from the event.