Department of Accounting

Message from the Chair

Defining Your Alma Mater

Department News

Alumni In The News

Spotlight on Students

Focus on Faculty

Message from the Chair

Dear Alumni and Friends of the SIUE Accounting Department,

We are happy to welcome three new individuals to the accounting faculty this year. Professors Xiaoxiao Song and Marc Ortegren were hired to fill positions that were vacated when Susan Murray left to teach at another university and Michael Costigan retired. Cathy Tornaritis became a full-time instructor to fill the position that became available when James Dixon retired. These new additions to the Department of Accounting have brought new ideas and energy to the department. We are fortunate that in a time of a shortage of accounting faculty we were able to hire our top three choices. I believe this is in large part due to the reputation and resources that have been created over the years by the success and support of our alumni and friends.

Our master of science in accountancy (MSA) degree program has grown significantly over the last few years. We traditionally had approximately 30 students in the MSA program, but we had over 50 students last year. We are happy for this growth and are working to provide more course offerings for the additional students.

In August, we will be moving out of our offices for 1-2 years so that renovations can be made to the second and third floors of Founders Hall. We will have temporary offices in the Vadalabene Center. While our temporary offices will not be as nice as our current offices, we would still like to welcome you to stop by and say hi if you are in the area.

Our success is only possible due to the generous donations of time, talent and money that are provided by our friends and alumni. Thank you for your continued support as we work to develop the next generation of accounting professionals.

Regards,

Brad Reed, Chair

Defining Your Alma Mater

As the years go by, most of us will become nostalgic about the time we spent in college, often calling it “the best days of our lives.” Of course, that’s not to say your current life is not the best, but it proves that the time when you had fewer responsibilities, were focused on making good grades, and were getting ready to start your professional journey made a great impression on you. We gain so much from our college experiences, and it’s important to give back to support that same experience for others behind you. We hope this is reason enough to support the School of Business, but here are some other great reasons to give back:

Support of your alma mater plays a big role in determining the future and continued development of the School.
Scholarship donation goes a long way to support students who need financial help to offset their educational costs.
Investing your time and money in your alma mater helps current students gain a valuable asset—an excellent education
Alumni giving opens up more giving opportunities for outsiders, organizations and philanthropists.
When your alma mater continues to grow in prestige, the value of YOUR degree increases.

For those of you who support your alma mater already, thank you for investing in the School of Business! Others can start giving back today!

Department News

The 2017-2018 academic year has been busy for the Department of Accounting. Recently, the School of Business hosted the annual scholarship luncheon. Accounting students were well represented and received their share of School of Business scholarships. Additionally, the Department of Accounting awarded 12 accounting scholarships. We appreciate the firms and individuals who have made these scholarships possible. Listed below are the accounting scholarship recipients.

Anders CPAs + Advisors Scholarship: Rachel Huwe
Beta Alpha Psi Award: Michelle Porter
BKD Scholarship: Dustin Bobcik & Wayne Sherland
Brown Smith Wallace Scholarship: Taylor Bosch
Hagemann Accounting Scholarship: Luke Thiede
Outstanding Senior Accounting Student Award: Amelia Pytlinski
Phoenix Fund Scholarship: Madelyn Thiel
Harry & Lena Rosner Memorial Scholarship: Braxton Berlin
Denise L. Suhrenbrock Memorial Scholarship: Courtney Cannon
Wenzel CPA Scholarship: Mckinley Vickers
Stuart E. White Accounting Scholarship: Noah Feldmeier, Jessica Lake & Jessica Roman
Yates Accounting Award: Allison Taylor

Alumni In The News

Glen Carbon resident, Kali Patterson received her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Master of Science in Accountancy from SIUE. She currently holds the position of audit manager with Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP in St. Louis.

Read more about Kalie here.

Spotlight on Students

The Beta Alpha Psi chapter (BAP) has been active during the year and has been advised by Dr. Marc Ortegren and Dr. Greg Sierra. The chapter was recognized as a Distinguished Chapter for its efforts during the 2016–2017 academic year. The congratulatory letter from Beta Alpha Psi noted that the chapter has excelled in the areas of academics, professionalism and leadership.

Throughout the year BAP has invited a variety of firms, companies and government agencies to speak at their meetings. In fall 2017, BAP hosted the Meet the Firms event, which included a record number of employers who came to meet the students.

The current BAP officers are:
Michelle Porter – President
Michael White – VP of Reporting
Ashton Nobbe – VP of Service
Levi Justice – VP of Events and Planning
Garett Brangenberg – VP of Membership
Vivian Liu – Treasurer

Focus on Faculty

We welcomed Dr. Xiaoxiao Song to our faculty in the fall of 2017. She earned a PhD and MSA from the University of Texas at Arlington and a BA in English from the China University of Petroleum, Beijing China. She is married with two young children, and her family is currently building a home in the Edwardsville area.