The Impact of Faculty Recruiting in the Accounting Discipline

In just the past few years we have recruited 10 new faculty members in accounting---three  full professors with exceptional long-term records as teacher-scholars , one associate professor, four assistant professors with new degrees from world-class PhD  programs, and two instructors with long and  prominent industry careers . All ten of these new faculty members bring exceptional academic backgrounds, and all have worked in industry positions which have enhanced their classroom skills. See full biographical info on each new faculty member here. But, let me highlight a couple of them to give you a flavor of the high quality and student focus of this new group of faculty. 

Joining the faculty this fall are two senior faculty members from quality academic programs in California. Dr Arline Savage comes to UAB from the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California—where she was the Deloitte Faculty Fellow. She holds a PhD from the University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa and has taught accounting in South Africa, Canada, and the US. She is the recipient of major awards in both teaching and in research. She has also been an active consultant to several private equity firms.  Dr. Savage is an example of a  faculty member who brings all the key skills and experiences to be both exceptional in the classroom and as a researcher who fits the model of an outstanding investigator common at UAB---a scholar respected by international peers. Also coming from California is Dr Terry Grant. Terry was a visiting Professor this past spring from the Mihaylo College of Business at Cal State Fullerton (the largest accounting program in California). He joins us fulltime this fall.   Terry earned a PhD at Florida State and a BS with high honors from the University of Alabama. Dr Grant brings many years teaching experience as the accounting area coordinator at the US Air Force Academy. Like Dr Savage, Dr Grant also has a record of excellence in research—with both awards for best papers and funded support from KPMG (audit, tax and advisory firm).

Instructor Eddie Nabors joined our faculty in fall 2011 and has been a true blessing to our students—as he brings several decades of high level real-world experience to our classrooms. I have stopped counting the number of times students have stopped me in the hallway to say how much they appreciate the opportunity to be mentored by Eddie Nabors. Eddie holds a BS and a Masters in accounting and has served as the CFO of a public company and as the CEO of a private entrepreneurial company.  But the most impressive thing about Eddie is his very intense commitment to mentoring our students. His genuine passion for pushing students to achieve their best is a wonder to see. And the students know it is real and respond by stepping up their game.  

Much has changed in the last few years in the Accounting area at UAB. But one thing is clear –we have in place top-tier faculty demonstrating excellence in both teaching and research. However, we will not rest. Under the direction of Interim Chair Dr Lary Cowart, we will be recruiting more new respected faculty members in the coming year.  In addition to introducing new faculty members, I am also very pleased to report that Professor Ollie Powers will be taking a sabbatical from retirement to teach a financial accounting class this fall.    

Experienced Teacher-Scholars Continue to be Leaders in the School of Business

Dr. Tom Powers joined UAB in 1985, after receiving a Ph.D. in Marketing from Michigan State University. Prior to his doctoral studies, Tom was marketing manager with Ford Motor Company, holding progressive assignments in sales, product forecasting, and distribution. Thus, he brings both academic and real-world lessons to his classroom and to his scholarship. Early in his career at UAB Tom established a reputation, supported by 25 years of very positive testimony from students, as a caring, rigorous, and committed teacher—both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting with Tom when he received recognition for 25 years of exceptional service to UAB and the School of Business. Tom was especially excited, as he had just received notice from a respected peer-reviewed business journal that a part of his recent research portfolio was accepted for publication. I then learned that 25 years ago Tom had set a professional goal to have 100 peer-reviewed journal articles in the first 25 years as a professor. He had met the goal that day! Tom sees the need to be current in the technology, theory, and practice of marketing. His consistency of pursuing research year after year reflects both a genuine pride in his professional commitment to the profession and to his students---but also reflects his daily passion for discovery.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Powers for his exceptional career and for his consistency in scholarship over a sustained period of 25 years. But fear not. Tom is not retiring or slowing down. His passion for discovery and teaching is unquenched. He told me at the celebration of his 25 years of service that he loves this fine institution we call UAB, and he loves his work with fellow scholars and students. This gives us all pleasure, as we know he blesses us all with his exceptional professional demeanor and his vey contagious excitement for discovery.

An Exceptional Team of Faculty

In our continued recruitment for individual faculty members we are focused on the term “an exceptional faculty”---meaning an exceptional TEAM of faculty members that collectively meet the learning needs of our students and the mission of the School to be active players in the life changing research of UAB. Balance is a key goal in building an exceptional faculty. Balance is needed in their special fields of knowledge, skills relevant to teaching and research, and passions/commitments to service. We also seek to build a diverse faculty team which is representative of the students and communities we serve. The one consistency we seek is commitment to be fully engaged in a collegial community---i.e., we seek faculty members who understand our balanced and diverse mission and will work hard to contribute to multiple phases of our mission. We seek faculty who have a passion for both student learning and the pursuit of excellence in research. Both commitments are equally critical to the mission of UAB.

With regard to student learning we seek faculty who have a dynamic presence in the classroom and a strong commitment to see each and every student succeed. As you will see in the video, Faculty Receive an A+ from Fall Graduates, our faculty are recognized for providing excellent instruction along with compassionate consistent motivation. We unfailingly meet our students where they are and build their confidence as well as exceptional technical and critical thinking skills needed to succeed.

Recruitment Continues for Exceptional Teacher Scholars

With the announcement of our continued recruitment for six new teacher-scholars, I am especially pleased to report that they will be joining excellent school-wide faculty members who continue to materially “raise their game”. We have fully met and exceeded the requirement for reaccreditation by AACSB that our faculty as a whole is 90% academically qualified or professionally qualified. In the coming months, I will post copies of the excellent published research by our many fine faculty members. As you will see, the scholarship of our faculty is a balanced blend of theoretical, practical, and educational research that is relevant to both the academy and to the professions we serve.

We are fortunate to be actively seeking additional teacher-scholars to join our outstanding team of faculty, as many peer universities, struggling with diminished funding, are inactive in recruiting. The entrepreneurial environment of UAB, matched with a material increase in school student enrollment (over 2,000 students in School of Business this fall) and the continuing support of alumni and friends, has created a financial profile that allows us to continue to grow by seeking additional exceptional scholars—while still maintaining a positive annual contribution to our investable reserves. Please know that the faculty and staff of the UAB School of Business have been exceptional stewards of our funding—as we have intensely focused our financial and business insight on very mission driven activities and investments.