DePaul University launched a new brand campaign last spring that celebrates DePaul’s distinctive link to Chicago—a world-class city and business hub and the determination of our incredible students to succeed here. The School of Accountancy & MIS is committed to “Here, We Do.” in a number of ways:
Here. This evokes DePaul’s connection to the city of Chicago and the role it plays in the student experience. Through our connection to industry, we hire local executives, partners and other business practitioners from the top firms in Chicago to teach our students what it is like to work in the accounting profession. You can read how this real-world education is benefiting our students in our cover story. We are also placing our graduates at the top firms in the city at astonishing rates. It’s not just the accounting firms that are hiring our students. Our students are getting jobs in almost every industry. Our employment placement rate in the latest career outcomes survey is 96 percent for undergraduate accountancy students and nearly 100 percent for graduate students.
We. This notes that we are a community of engaged faculty, staff and alumni empowering our students to succeed. Assistant Professor Willie Reddic is preparing accounting students for the future of the profession by teaching data analytics skills, as described in this issue’s Faculty Profile. I’m also pleased to share that two of our top faculty members, Molly Mercer and Cindy Durtschi, have been promoted to the rank of professor. In addition, our extensive network of alumni has donated over $510,000 in scholarships to support our students. The School of Accountancy & MIS has the most active network of alumni among accountancy programs in the Chicago area.
Do. This is about the hands-on experiential education that we provide to our students. From our many case competitions and conferences to the real-world issues we teach in the classroom, our students emerge from DePaul ready to work in the profession. Dean’s Advisory Council Member, Adjunct Professor and Deloitte Tax Partner Kent Klaus (BUS ’82) provided a gift this year to advance our real-world connections through the launch of the new Office of Student Success and Industry Engagement at our school. Read more about this initiative at go.depaul.edu/GeneralJournal.
These are just a few examples of how the School of Accountancy & MIS is providing students with industry connections, a distinguished faculty and real-world education. We are currently working on our mission-driven strategic plan to move our college forward over the next six years. It is an exciting time to be a part of the DePaul community.
Ray Whittington
Professor and Director
School of Accountancy & MIS