Kansas State University

Dear K-State Accounting Alumni and Friends,

We want to share with you some of the awesome things happening at K-State Accounting! We are excited to continue building upon the proud legacy of success handed down from previous generations. We live in a time of dramatic change in our profession but we are committed to embracing change in ways that bring the greatest success to our students.

As you can readily see in our scholarship numbers, our student successes, our innovative programs, and our international study opportunities, the support of our alumni and friends has a very direct impact on everything we do. You are integral to our success and we know you celebrate our accomplishments with us. We invite you to continue to journey with us as we navigate new challenges and opportunities.

Go Cats!

Brett R. Wilkinson

Department Head

This past year we went through our five-year annual accreditation review. The team was impressed with what we are doing and in March we received notice that our accreditation was being extended for an additional five years. The team noted several areas of commendation and best practice, including our international study trips that are providing learning experiences in a global setting; the Grant Thornton Accounting Success Academy;  and the MAcc curriculum redesign with tracks supporting both public accounting and industry.

Having a separately accredited accounting program places us in a select group of schools around the world. Globally, only 188 programs hold separate AACSB accounting accreditation.

This past May, we said farewell to Dr. Richard Ott, who retired after 33 years at K-State! Dr. Ott joined K-State as an assistant professor in 1986 after completing his PhD at Texas Tech University, and went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career dedicated to accounting education. During his time at K-State, Dr. Ott impacted thousands of students and alumni as a teacher, friend, and mentor. In addition, Dr. Ott served as department head for a decade, a role in which he helped shape the department for the future, and shepherded the accounting program through several successful AACSB accreditation reviews.

In March, the department held a celebration to honor Dr. Ott and his wife Trish, who have been such an important part of our department for so many years. We were honored to be joined by Dr. Ott’s two daughters, son-in-law, and two grandchildren; friends from the Manhattan community; and friends and colleagues from the campus community. Dr. Brett Wilkinson and Dr. Dan Deines shared stories and memories in honor of Dr. Ott’s many contributions to the accounting program at K-State and his impact on the lives of so many students and colleagues over his extensive career. Although he won’t be teaching at K-State in the future, we know that Dr. Ott remains a dedicated and committed Accounting Wildcat. We wish him and Trish all the very best                                             for their retirement adventures!

This Fall we are excited to welcome Dr. Ashley West to the K-State family! Dr. West comes to us from fellow Big 12 school Texas Tech University where she recently completed her PhD in accounting and taxation. Prior to entering the PhD program, Dr. West was employed with KPMG in Virginia. Dr. West will be teaching in the financial accounting area, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her research focuses on the impacts of tax policy on tax preparer behavior. “I’m honored and very excited to be joining the K-State Accounting family,” said West. “Everyone at K-State has been exceptionally kind, helpful, and welcoming! I can’t wait to start working with students when they return, where I hope to be a positive source of motivation and inspiration.”

Mexico: In November, 2018, ten students from the IMA Student Chapter
along with three faculty members, travelled to Monterrey, Mexico as guests of Kansas City Southern.

The team toured the Kansas City Southern operations, and had the opportunity to learn directly from the KCS team about the challenges and opportunities of conducting business internationally. The team also made a visit to the manufacturing operations of Ragasa, an agro-industrial company producing cooking oil. Social activities included a watch party with KCS employees to cheer on the Chiefs against the Rams!

We are particularly grateful to Mr. Mike Upchurch, CFO of Kansas City Southern and distinguished K-State alumnus and Accounting Hall of Fame member, and to Kansas City Southern, for developing and providing financial support for this amazing trip for our students.

Australia: In May 2019, nineteen students and two faculty members made the long trip from Manhattan to Australia!

Our team visited Sydney and Cairns
over 13 days, to learn about international business and work with students at James Cook University. Blended teams of US and Australian students worked remotely on a case involving a fictitious company from KC looking to expand operations into Australia. When the teams met up in Australia, they presented their recommendations to Dr. Martin Fahy (CEO of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia), who posed as the KC company’s CFO.

Social activity highlights included a day trip to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, a private tour of the Sydney Opera House, and the chance to get up close to koalas and kangaroos.

We are particularly grateful to the donors of the scholarships that enabled our students to participate in this program, including: the Cole Family scholarships; the ConocoPhillips scholarships; the Department of Accounting scholarships; the Koehn scholarship; the KSCPA scholarships; the Morrison Family scholarships; the Phillips 66 scholarships; and the Upchurch International scholarships.

Our faulty award winners for the 2019 year are:

BKD Teaching Award:                              Dr. Brooke Beyer

Cole Family Summer Faculty Award:         Dr. Dann Fisher, Robert Hagans                                                                     Chair in Business                                                                                         Dr. Amy Hageman, KPMG Professor

K-Coe Isom Research Award:                   Dr. Terry Mason, Koch Industries                                                                   MAcc Director

Koch Industries Leadership
& Service Award:                                    Ms. Jane Bloodgood                                                                                     Mr. Rodney Vogt, EY Teaching Fellow

We sincerely appreciate the financial support from our award sponsors: BKD; Mr. & Mrs. Charlie and Jan Cole; K-Coe Isom; and Koch Industries.

In April, we were delighted to induct Mr. Vern Herbel into our Accounting Hall of Fame. The Accounting Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding alumni who have represented Kansas State with distinction in business, government or academia.

Vern Herbel was Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer until his recent retirement at Torchmark Corporation, a public financial services holding company specializing in life and supplemental health insurance for middle income Americans. Torchmark’s affiliate companies have local offices throughout the United States.

A native of Dorrance, Kansas, Vern earned a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University in 1979. He started his business career with Ernst & Whinney, and then entered the insurance industry in 1983. He was with Torchmark for 32 years and held a variety of positions, including Internal Audit, Operations, President of various Torchmark affiliates, and Chief Administrative Officer.

Vern serves on the KSU College of Business Administration (CBA) Accounting Advisory Council, the CBA Dean’s Business Advisory Council, and is the KSU Foundation Trustee.

He is a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church, and has served on the Board of Directors, including being Chairman. Vern and his wife, Joan, reside in McKinney, Texas. They have a son and daughter-in law, Eric and Blaise, and a daughter, Sara.

Past Inductees

2019     Vern Herbel                                  Executive Vice President and Chief                                                                 Administrative Officer, Torchmark

2018     Michael Upchurch                          Executive Vice President & CFO,                                                                    Kansas City Southern

2018     Johanna Lyle                                 Instructor Emeritus of Accounting

2017     Ken Selzer                                    Kansas Insurance Commissioner

2016     Mark A. Soucie                             Vice President & CFO, Koch                                                                           Chemical Technology Group, LLC

2015     Barry Robinson                             EMEIA Tax Markets Leader, Ernst                                                                   & Young

2014     Steve Lacy                                   Chairman of the Board & CEO,                                                                       Meredith Corporation

2013     Doug Gaston                                Regional Managing Partner of BKD

2012     Jackson Day                                 Ernst and Young’s Americas                                                                           Professional Practice

2011     Paul Edgerley                               Managing Director, Bain Capital

2010     Robert G. Chapman (deceased)     President, Zieman Manufacturing

2009     Julie Bryant                                  Controller, ConocoPhillips

2008     Stan Weber                                  Chief Financial Officer, Tower                                                                         Properties Company

2007     Randall G. Fletchall                       Vice Chair, Assurance and                                                                             Advisory Business Services

2006     Joleen D. Moden                           Retired Senior Vice President,                                                                       Verizon Communications

2005     Maurice “Buzz” Stark                     Retired Professor, Kansas State                                                                     University

2005     Gene Laughlin                               Retired Associate Dean, Kansas                                                                      State University

2005     Ken Fox                                        Retired Professor, Kansas State                                                                      University

2004     Randolph A. Buseman                    Partner, Ernst & Young

2003     Rand C. Berney                             Vice President and Controller,                                                                        ConocoPhillips

2002     Candace Duncan                            Partner, KPMG

2001     Gary Boomer                                 Chief Executive Officer, Boomer                                                                    Consulting Inc.

2001     Roger Sink                                    Partner, Sink, Gillmore & Gordon                                                                    LLP

2000     F. Lynn Markel                               Retired EVP & CFO, Koch                                                                              Industries

2000     Julie Davis                                    Partner, KPMG

1999     Bill Sinderson                                Retired, Baird Kurtz & Dobson

1999     Allen Webber                                 Retired, Kennedy and Coe

In April we held our third Scholarships & Awards Gala. The Gala allows our scholarship winners to interact with our scholarship donors, employers and alumni. We celebrated over $320,000 in scholarships, thanks to the amazing support of our alumni and friends!

Two of our students won major prestigious national and state awards this year:

KSCPA Byron Bird Scholarship: Ms. Michelle Anderson.

Michelle will be serving as a Graduate Research Assistant for 2019-20.

PCAOB Award (student): Ms. Hailey Robinson.

Hailey will be serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for 2019-20

CPA Pass Rates

One of the many measures we use to evaluate our program is the pass rate on the CPA exam. For the 2017 period, the most recently available data at the time of writing, we were ranked in the top 40 large programs and 4^th in the Big 12 for first time pass rates. This is a nice accomplishment.

This fall we will host our inaugural Accounting and Technology Conference on October 3-4 in Manhattan. The conference is targeted at accounting professionals seeking to understand the impacts of technology on the accounting profession in today’s business world, and provides up to 16 hours of continuing professional education.

The conference will feature keynote speakers from across the country, including Jackson Day, partner and the Americas professional director for the Northeast Region at Ernst and Young LLP; Lynn Turner, the former chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and former K-State football coach Bill Snyder, who will be the lunchtime keynote speaker.

“Our profession is evolving very quickly,” said Dr. Brooke Beyer, lead conference organizer. “This conference is about equipping accounting professionals with the skills that they will need to be competitive in an ever-changing, technologically-focused business world.”

In addition to a series of leading speakers, the conference will address a range of topics from financial reporting, auditing and tax updates, to data analytics, cybersecurity and blockchain. The conference will also feature some hands-on, interactive data workshops designed to help professionals in building current technology skills. One session will feature a comparison of technology options, including guidance on how to select the most relevant technology software to meet business needs. Another session will discuss how to use data analytics applications with accounting firm clients including creating an interactive dashboard for clients to use.

For further information and to register to attend, visit the conference website.

We ask you to support us by giving to K-State Accounting online at the following link: https://cba.k-state.edu/academics/departments/accounting/gift.html

Please include the Department of Accounting Fund number to ensure your gift comes to Accounting!

Your gifts to our program are making a difference in the lives of K-State Accounting students. Thanks for supporting us!