The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Foundation awarded the first William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarships to five CPAs pursuing doctorates in accounting.
The William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship program provides a one-time award of $10,000 to five outstanding accounting Ph.D. candidates who demonstrate significant potential to become mentors for the next generation of CPAs. The scholarship honors the late Ezzell’s passion for the profession and recognizes his belief that the best way to encourage the next generation of CPAs was to put educators in the classroom with relevant and recent real-world experience.
“Bill knew how important it is for accounting students to have a CPA in front of them in the classroom. Educators who have worked as CPAs are able to share their practical experience,” said Ernie Almonte, CPA, CGMA, AICPA Foundation president. “These five students represent some of the best and brightest future accounting educators, and we are thrilled to help them as they strive to bring up the next generation of accounting professionals."
Recipients for the 2019 William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship, along with their areas and institutes of study are:
- Kathryn Holmstrom, Accounting, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Alex Johanns, Audit, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Cassie Mongold, Accounting, University of Texas at Austin
- Vernan Rivera, Tax and Financial Reporting, University of Connecticut
- Andrea Tillet, Audit, Florida State University
The scholarship is available to CPAs in the United States with at least three years of professional accounting experience and an undergraduate or master’s degree in accounting. Applicants must also intend to teach or conduct research at an accredited university following the completion of their Ph.D. program.
Ezzell was a former chairman of the AICPA Board of Directors, past president of its Foundation Board and recipient of the AICPA's 2009 Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service and Outstanding Service Award. He spearheaded the creation of the Accounting Doctoral Scholars (ADS) programs and helped raise $17 million to increase the number of PhDs in accounting and tax.
The William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship Program, along with ADS and the AICPA Fellowship for Minority Doctoral Students, are designed to ensure a healthy pipeline of accounting educators.
Credit to orginal article: American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)