Dean Sulin Ba (center right) with Director Hui Lin (center left) and Ledger & Quill donors Mary Kosinski (BUS ’82) and Barry Epstein (BUS ’67). A new endowed professorship was recently named after Epstein after he made a generous gift to the school.
DePaul’s School of Accountancy & MIS reached a big milestone in 2022 with the 50th anniversary of its donor society, Ledger & Quill. Over the last five decades, L&Q has been a vital source of engagement and funding for student success and faculty development. Every accounting student at DePaul, whether they know it or not, and countless faculty, have benefited from L&Q’s support. Many accounting schools have donor societies, but few measure up to L&Q’s level of involvement in fulfilling the school’s mission.
“One of the things that makes the L&Q board unique is that they’re actively involved in recruiting and engaging with students. They also provide guidance that keeps our programs grounded in practice and at the forefront of the latest developments,” says Ray Whittington, professor and former director of the school. Over the course of his long tenure at DePaul, Whittington has played a key role in building L&Q and expanding its membership.
“L&Q members serve as judges in the school’s case competitions, speak at panels at student events, attend receptions to network with students and alumni, and engage with students in many other ways that really make a difference to their education and development,” he says.
Past L&Q presidents with then president of DePaul University, Rev. John T. Richardson, C.M. (1990). Photo by Amy Rothblatt.
GIVING TO STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
DePaul alumnus Ernie Wish (BUS ’57, LLD ’91), a founding member of L&Q and longtime supporter of DePaul, substantially strengthened L&Q’s funding in the 2000s through the society’s most significant capital campaign, which Wish spearheaded with then school director Bel Needles and alumnus Bill Snow. The trio committed more than $500,000 to the effort and campaigned for firms and DePaul to match donations. That historic campaign raised nearly $4 million, creating an endowed scholarship fund that has been growing and helping DePaul accounting students ever since.
Ernie Wish (left) with Ronald Patten, former dean of the business college, circa 1990. (Image courtesy of DePaul Special Collections and Archives.)
Each year, the school provides more than $500,000 in scholarship awards to students with high academic achievement and financial need.
Ivonne Sanchez is one of these students.
Sanchez began at DePaul as a freshman and first-generation student in the Strobel Honors Program. Today she’s a senior and the VP of mentorship for the accounting student honor society, Beta Alpha Psi. She also mentors DePaul freshmen through the university’s peer-to-peer mentorship program.
Ivonne Sanchez
“As a freshman I was very timid and didn’t understand the idea behind corporate America or what I would be getting into with accounting,” Sanchez says. “Strobel and the school allowed me access to premier events with recruiters right at the start of my freshman year. Being afforded those opportunities early on has really helped me, and I’ve been giving back ever since [as a student mentor].”
Sanchez expects to graduate in June 2023 and pursue a career that focuses on data science and analytics with KPMG. “I hope to do that for the next couple of years—and in the future I’d love to go back to school and get my PhD to become a professor in accounting and data analytics.”
GIVING TO STUDENT ACTIVITIES
The goal behind L&Q’s founding was to lessen the tuition burden for students, but it has also made a big difference to student success through its funding of student activities. L&Q’s support has provided many opportunities for students to access career resources, expand their network and develop themselves.
Programming like the school’s popular Meet the Firms event, case competitions and the executive-in-residence program, born out of the school’s Office of Student Success & Engagement, are only a few of the events that have benefited from L&Q funding.
“When it comes to student events and activities, L&Q is the connector and the reason the school can do everything it does to help our students succeed as professionals,” says senior program administrator Brian Maj, who runs the school’s operations and career engagement activities.
GIVING TO FACULTY RESEARCH
Cindy Durtschi
L&Q has also made a significant impact on faculty, helping to advance research as well as teaching within the school. Cindy Durtschi has been the L&Q Distinguished Professor since July 2020. A forensic accounting expert, she creates and publishes cases to help teach auditors and her students how to better detect fraud.
“This is not a typical path in accounting scholarship, to blend teaching and scholarship this closely,” she says. “That is what makes the L&Q professorship so gratifying; it feels like an acknowledgment of my efforts in both teaching and scholarship. With the support of L&Q I’ve been able to continue creating cases, recently ones that have a strong emphasis on data analytics. I’ve also created educational software called ‘Trouble at Tindy’ that is a gamified version of my cases.”
Deni Cikurel
Assistant Professor Deni Cikurel, who specializes in financial accounting, is another faculty member who has been able to advance his research with the help of L&Q. In summer 2021, he was the recipient of a grant that the school awarded to a select number of faculty.
“My co-authors and I worked on a research project investigating how earnings releases’ readability affects investors’ decision-making,” Cikurel says. “With the help of the grant, we tested the validity of our manipulations and ran a pilot study. With those results, we were able to fine-tune our theory and design a new experiment to test it.”
“We really appreciate the support our alumni provide us,” Cikurel continues. “It is nice to have access to a network of professionals, such as L&Q members, who really care about DePaul and its mission.”
A LEGACY OF GIVING THAT CONTINUES
“L&Q is a great way to give back and stay involved in the DePaul accounting community,” shares Dave Delgado (BUS ’87), partner at Crowe and chair of the L&Q board. “I have learned much from my time with L&Q, enjoy the camaraderie and have increased my professional network in a meaningful way.”
“My vision for L&Q is that we become a meaningful and active professional network for DePaul Accounting & MIS graduates that benefits members throughout their professional careers,” continues Delgado. “Also, that we greatly increase the amount we give back in the form of scholarships and financial assistance.”
“When you join L&Q, you join a legacy of giving,” says Hui Lin, director of the school. “I feel deeply indebted to our members and look forward to continuing to strengthen alumni engagement in the school.” Visit alumni.depaul.edu/LQ to join today with any gift amount to one of the school’s funds.
By Nadia Alfadel Coloma