Our vision is to be recognized as a forerunner in accounting education and to become a center of excellence in teaching, research, and commitment for the business and community stakeholders in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Being separately accredited by AACSB allows us say that the School of Accountancy is a leader among accounting institutions that integrate scholarly study with active learning and engagement to impact the practice of accounting, to foster ethical awareness, and to provide the foundational knowledge required to allow our students to succeed as accounting professionals and to handle real-world business and community challenges in the global economy. Accordingly, we align our actions with the Strome College of Business. We also strive to achieve results in a cost effective manner that addresses the needs of a nontraditional and largely first-generation student population. We measure our impact on the accounting profession by: assessing the placement of our graduates; evaluating the magnitude of opportunities we create for both our students and faculty to interact with both the professional and academic communities; student performance on professional exams; and gauging the strategic placement of faculty research and the extent this research is cited.
The faculty of the SOA is dedicated to teaching, research, and public and professional service. In carrying out its mission, the SOA is fully committed to the following core values:
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Appreciation of Diversity of People and Perspectives
We respect and value difference, and adopt that view when selecting and engaging our participants and measuring our output. - Commitment to Academic Excellence
We embrace the pursuit of knowledge and encourage and reward the pursuit of innovation in pedagogy.
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Commitment to Leadership Development
We commit to engaging in the development of leadership by inspiring our graduates to pursue a relevant and thorough knowledge of accounting and business. -
Community Outreach
We seek to build a framework of community outreach that relies on the academic experience to create a sense of civic engagement whereby both our students and faculty develop the knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make a difference. -
Concern for Students
We endeavor to endow students with the analytical, technical, cognitive and communication skills that will provide them with the basic foundation for a professional career and graduate study. -
Global Orientation
We recognize the prevalence of globalization trends and focus on facilitating thought and decision making across social, organizational, and cultural business environments. -
High Ethical Values and Behavior
We work to assess business ethics and how accounting students perceive these ethics are linked to the accounting profession. -
Intellectual Curiosity
We promote the development of the capacity of both faculty and students to invest time and energy in the pursuit of learning more about a variety of subjects and not be bound by a standard understanding of life and social practices.
We endeavor our mission to guide SOA participants to acquire skills to think clearly, communicate critically, act with conviction, and lead with intent and direction. To do so, we recognize to consider the changing environment in which accounting programs operate. Accordingly, key elements of our mission include:
Key elements of our mission:
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- An undergraduate curriculum that focuses on cultivating knowledge, skills, and abilities for entry level accountants and providing motivation to become an accounting professional. Our programs will necessarily prepare students, if they desire, for professional designations or licensure but more important, will provide a basis for continuous deep and active learning in order to prepare them to compete in an ever growing technology-based business environment.
- Graduate programs that clearly extend knowledge obtained in an undergraduate curriculum in order to foster and enhance the development of professional accountants at the partner, owner, controller, or executive level.
- Accounting courses whose content emphasize the highest level of professional ethics and practice so as to make our graduates understand and be prepared to make a difference in business and society.
- Meaningful intellectual contributions in accounting academic research including relevant basic, applied, and educational research that makes a positive impact on the theory, teaching, and practice of accounting, business, and management.
- Continuous close communication with, and trust, commitment and dedication to the accounting profession in order to foster cooperation and support in achieving our goals.
- Moves to supplement the traditional face-to face delivery of programs with hybrid/mixed, and fully asynchronous (on-line) formats.
- Developing on-line graduate level tracks in Internal Auditing, Financial Forensics, and Advanced Professional Tax Practice.
- Developing domestic-based certificate programs and international degree completion.
- Evaluate the support for Doctoral Programs by ¹ÏÉñÍø with a vision of offering an accounting track when resources permit.
| Perspectives | Goal Number | Goal | Action Item and Number | Measures |
| Student Perspective | SP-1 | Improve qualifications of incoming students in undergraduate and graduate programs. |
SP-1A:ÌýMaintain activities for, and interactions with, college alumni. SP-1B:ÌýBuild relationships with area accounting firms and businesses through visits by Chair and Faculty. SP-1C:ÌýWork closely with development office and college Major Gifts Officer to seek funding for an endowed Chair in Accounting. |
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| Ìý | SP-2 | Improve numbers of placements in jobs, MSA program, and other graduate programs. |
SP-2A:ÌýContinue curriculum assessment to ensure development of knowledge and skills desired by employers. SP-2B:ÌýEncourage practical work experiences internships. SP-2C:ÌýEncourage qualified Accounting majors to enter our MSA program. SP-2D:ÌýEncourage tracking of graduate placements by the Office of Graduate Studies. SP-2E:ÌýWork with Accounting Advisory Council to promote visibility of our programs and graduates. SP-2F:ÌýWork with MAAC and Beta Alpha Psi to help students be more proactive in developing themselves for professional careers. SP-2G:ÌýEncourage student research involvement. |
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| Financial Perspective |
FP-1 FP-2 |
FP-1:ÌýIncrease endowments and operating funds for faculty development, and scholarships. FP-2:ÌýIncrease revenues and surpluses from special accounting programs. |
FP-1A:ÌýMaintain activities for, and interactions with, college alumni. FP-1B:ÌýBuild relationships with area accounting firms and businesses through visits by Chair and Faculty. FP-1C:ÌýWork closely with development office and college Major Gifts Officer to seek funding for an Endowed Chair in Accounting. FP-2A:ÌýIncrease participation in CPA review programs. FP-1B:ÌýContinue offering the mandatory CPA ethics training. FP-2C:ÌýDevelop other fund-raising programs. |
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| Internal Business Perspective |
IBP-1 IBP-2 IBP-3 |
IBP-1: Maintain or increase high quality of classroom instruction. IBP-2: Increase high quality research. IBP-3: Increase service to profession and community. |
IBP-1A:ÌýContinue curriculum assessment to ensure development of knowledge and skills desired by employers. IBP-1B:ÌýOffer opportunities for faculty to attend workshops and conferences that are teaching-related IBP-1C:ÌýEncourage faculty to take advantage of opportunities offered by the Center for Learning Technologies (CLT) and to adopt new technologies. IBP-1D:ÌýAssign faculty schedules to best match expertise and training to appropriate curriculum levels. IBP-1E:ÌýEnsure that performance evaluation system rewards high quality classroom instruction. IBP-2A:ÌýRecruit and retain high quality research faculty. IBP-2B:ÌýProvide research support through workload policy, travel funding, summer research grants, graduate assistant support, and acquisition of databases. IBP-2C:ÌýParticipate in Dean's Research Seminar (Faculty, Chairs) IBP-3A:ÌýContinue faculty involvement in professional academic associations and in community professional and social organizations. |
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| Innovation and Learning Perspective |
ILP-1 ILP-2 ILP-3 ILP-4 ILP-5 |
ILP-1:ÌýIncrease opportunities for faculty and staff development. ILP-2:ÌýIncrease involvement in online education. ILP-3:ÌýIncrease involvement in international education. ILP-4:ÌýIncrease involvement in continuing education. ILP-5:ÌýIncrease involvement in Hampton Roads higher education delivery. |
ILP-1A:ÌýIncrease funding for faculty and staff travel and/or enrollment in training programs. ILP-1B:ÌýPromote interactions among faculty to increase transfer of knowledge between faculty members. ILP-2A:ÌýWorking with Distance Learning to increase the offering of asynchronous courses and a dedicated online degree completion program. ILP-3A:ÌýWorking with the Graduate School and the College of Continuing Education to identify and develop international education opportunities ILP-4A:ÌýWorking with the Graduate School, the College of Continuing Education, and the professional community to identify and develop continuing education and certificate progeria opportunities ILP-5A:ÌýWorking state society, certifying boards, and other higher education entities to bring attention to the advantages of education being offered in the Hampton Roads area |
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- Ms. Renee M. Howard, Advisory Council Chair
Senior Manager, KPMG LLP - Mr. David B. Crainer
Partner, KPMG LLP - Ms. Robin A. Harvey
Partner, DesRoches & Company - Mr. Matthew Hewes
Matthew S. Hewes, CPA, PC - Ms. Nikki Kettenacker
Recruiting Manager, Dixon Hughes Goodman - Ms. Trisha Hummel
Office Services Lead, Cherry Bekaert LLP - Mr. Anthony Markun
President, HR Chapter, AFCE
Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters - Mr. Jesse Morrton
Firm Administrator, McPhillips, Roberts & Deans, PLC
- Ms. Liza Parker
Corporate Recruiter, Portfolio Recovery Associates - Mr. Marty Rideout
Partner, McPhillips, Roberts, & Deans, PLC - Mr. Dennis Ryan
Senior Vice President for Finance
Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters
- Ms. Julie L. Sokolowski
Shareholder, Wall, Einhorn, & Chernitzer, P.C. - Ms. Heather Sunderlin
Shareholder, Wall, Einhorn, & Chernitzer, P.C. - Ms. Barbara Smith
Partner, Cherry Bekaert LLP - Mr. Brad Smith
President, Virginia Peninsula Chapter,AGA
City of Norfolk Auditors Office - Ms. Margaret Thompson
President, Tidewater Chapter, IIA
Bon Secours Health System of Hampton Roads - Mr. George J. Walker
Partner, Dixon Hughes Goodman - Mr. Brian Windley
Partner, PB Mares LLP
We will achieve our vision and mission by providing advice and guidance to the Accounting Faculty in its efforts to establish:
- A high quality instruction with scholarship supportive of professional and ethical practice and classroom teaching of accounting.
- A high quality undergraduate program that focuses on technical knowledge and intellectual and communication skills required for entry level accountants, with emphasis on life long learning.
- High quality graduate programs designed to produce graduates well qualified for professional accounting careers in a changing world.
- Service to students, the University, the profession and our community as a means of faculty and student development.
- Partnership opportunities with their stakeholders that will integrate practical experience into the curriculum, and attract resources in support of scholarship.
As we seek to fulfill this vision, we will join the Accounting Faculty in a mutual quest for creating "Partners for Excellence in Accounting Education."
