KyCPA member spotlights continued
college accounting educators
Issue 2
April 22, 2022
2. What led you to become an accounting college educator?
Beauchamp -When I was a college student I loved the fresh start every semester. Just about the time I thought I was going to collapse from the work of carrying large course loads, going without sleep, and caring for family all at the same time, the semester was over. The break between semesters allowed me to recollect myself and prepare to dive into another semester. I made lifelong friends in college, but was so glad to earn my bachelor's degree and move on. It took me one month less than 3 years to earn 147 credit hours. That was before the 150-hour requirement to become a certified public accountant.
After college I worked in industrial accounting for 5 years, and then I finally got my dream job in a CPA firm. My co-workers and superiors at both positions soon became like family. However, my own family and home responsibilities prevented me from reaching my full potential as a public accountant, and as I grew older I was drawn back to the college routine.
There were no online classes at the community college and 4-year university when I earned my associate's and bachelor's degrees, but finally, online graduate courses were offered by credible universities. I took courses after tax season was over and studied at night and on weekends, while working at the CPA firm.
Twenty-one years after I earned my bachelor's degree, I was blessed to be hired as an accounting instructor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. I am happy to be teaching students and helping them make choices for a better future. I often encourage my students to take it one day at a time, and give it their all, while the opportunity is available. Semester's end rolls around quickly, and then there's a fresh semester waiting.
Brigham -In 2003, I was earning my master's in education at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. To earn my keep, I was an assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Legal Affairs and occasionally encountered accounting issues related to research grants and budgets. To brush-up on governmental accounting, I asked the Assistant Dean at the School of Business whether I could enroll in his class. He responded that he was too busy to teach that year and asked me to teach his course for him for two semesters given that I had been a practicing CPA and lawyer. After some first-day jitters, I was thrilled that my classes went extraordinarily well--with active student engagement. I was hooked. After receiving inspiring evaluations from my students, I quit the law (too much conflict) and arranged to pursue my PhD degree, completing it at UK in 2010.
Burge - I stepped away from being a CFO for a number of Fortune 500 companies to spend more time with my daughters who were under 5 at the time. I got involved with JCPS committee on technology as this was at a time IT computers and skills were being introduced in the school system. As my daughter was starting kindergarten, I worked on get PCs and setting up a computer lab at Lowe Elementary through getting donations from my contacts at Microsoft and other technology organizations. I worked with Ted Strictland who was the U of L CIS Chairman on the JCPS committee and he approached me on teach CIS courses as he was having difficulty finding folks with IT skills willing to teach. After completing one semester teaching CIS courses, the Director of the School of Accountancy offer me a full-time position in accounting. I taught CIS and Accounting, along with Honors and MBA courses during my U of L for 18 years. The rest is history as they say...
Hale - After graduating from Marshall University with degrees in Computer Science and Accounting, I began at Ashland Oil in the early 1980s. I was an IT auditor for 3 and a half years and then switched to the IT department (which brought me to Lexington) where I wrote the software for managing their fixed asset depreciation. By the way, I had to REWRITE it due to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the introduction of MACRS! I earned an MBA in Finance along the way.
I took a 2-year detour to become a founding faculty member of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management and Economics in 1992 in the former Soviet Union. This was my introduction to teaching at the university level.
When I returned in 1994, I did adjunct work for EKU, teaching courses in computer science and accounting.
Later that year, I joined a small software company in Lexington, with much of my work developing accounting software and also training new users. My training sessions were held across North and Central America. I was part of a team that wrote ERP software in response to a Y2K issue.
When I was downsized in 2007, I reached out to colleges and universities in the Bluegrass, and was invited to join the faculty of Midway College, where I taught for 7 years. I was a visiting professor at Kentucky State University for 2 years following that. By then, I had also earned my DBA in Accounting.
In 2017, I joined the faculty of Berea College, where I am currently teaching Principles of Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Income Tax, and Business Law.
Mattox - I always wanted to teach, but making the transition from professional life to academia can be difficult. Luckily, I had an opportunity to serve as an adjunct for my alma mater and my students that semester were involved and energetic, which motivated me to pursue teaching more seriously. Early in the pandemic and with two children under two, my‚ "pivot" was accepting a full-time position at Transy!
Roberts - After some time in public accounting, I realized that accounting education is my niche. I enjoy the classroom and the relationships with my students and my colleagues.
Siebenthaler - I started my career in public accounting and later left full-time work to be a mom. I never lost my love for accounting and the profession provided the flexibility I needed to focus on my family without completely stepping away from my career. As I tell my students, the profession has been good to me. Stepping into the college classroom was a natural move for me to be able to share with others a skill and profession that prepares you for life and provides unlimited opportunities.
Stout -Early in my career, in public accounting, I was interested in education. I think I took the GMAT three times planning to apply to doctoral programs (over a span of several years). Working at the FASB with some leading academics was a be influence. When I worked at Monsanto, I was asked to teach an accounting class to administrative assistants. I loved it. But there were still many issues to overcome. Going from a high-paying job to a research assistant/doctoral student was difficult (making $13,000 a year!). But I finally made the move, with the support of my wife and family. I have no regrets making that change. I've been lucky to be a department chair, involved in a leadership role with the American Accounting Association, and involved with AACSB ... and KyCPA! I've made so many friends in Kentucky, around the U.S. and internationally.
It's truly a wonderful life.