It was the 1950s—more than 50 years ago—when the accounting doctoral program began at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business. This year during Homecoming 2012, the Department of Accounting and Information Systems will reminisce on the past, review success stories, and plan for the future at events celebrating those 50 years plus of the accounting doctoral program.
The main celebration will kick off Oct. 12 with welcome remarks from former chair Sanjay Gupta, Russell E. Palmer Endowed Professor in Accounting and associate dean for MBA and professional master’s programs. Several panel discussions will follow—covering topics from a call for future research to challenges and opportunities in teaching and in research. Panelists will include former and current faculty as well as numerous accounting PhD alumni.
A special guest will also be in attendance and speak at dinner—James Don Edwards, former professor and head of the Department of Accounting from 1957 (when the PhD program began) until 1971. In addition to celebrating the program, alumni are invited to take part in MSU celebrations as the featured department for the Broad Alumni pre-game tailgate before the Homecoming game on Saturday, October 13.
Since its inception, the program has grown to become the third largest doctoral producer among more than 90 universities that award accounting doctorates in the United States. The graduates of the program have also made their mark — out of 204 Broad accounting doctoral graduates still working, 99 currently hold academic positions in U.S universities, 18 in non-U.S. universities, and five practice in the private sector.
The program currently maintains approximately 12 full-time, in-residence students. These students, past and present, have played a major role in shaping accounting standards, research direction, accounting curricula, student learning, accounting programs and much more.