Fifth Year Maintenance Report - AACSB - The University of Texas at ...

The Department of Accounting, as a component of the College of Business, concurs in and adoptthe College’s vision for a branding of the College. We do not have a separate vision statementand believe our vision of the Department is incorporated in our mission statement.The Department of Accounting adopts the same Core Values as the College of Business.3. Department of Accounting Strategic Advantages (page 5-6)As a Department we enjoy the advantages cited by the College of Business. The followingspecial comments apply.Capital Markets—The Department of Accounting has a strong cadre of financial marketsresearchers who use the archival research paradigm. While these researchers do not all docapital markets research all of them use research methods that are widely used in CapitalMarkets research. Also almost all of their research is focused on corporate issues so theirresearch reinforces the strength College of Business.Health/Technology—Dr. Dana Forgione is a member of the faculty in the Department ofAccounting which provides an opportunity for a larger role for the Department to play in thedeveloping healthcare initiative in the College of Business. We also have a faculty member, Dr.Pamela Smith who has considerable expertise in not-for-profit organization taxation issues.Since not-for-profit organizations play a large role in the healthcare field significantopportunities for synergetic collaboration exist in the Department.We also recognize additional advantages that we believe can be levered by the Department.Diversity of Students and Faculty—As noted in the introduction, the Accounting Departmenthas an exceptionally diverse faculty and student body. Historically, relatively small numbers ofminority students proportionately, major in technical fields like accounting. Given the size anddemographics of our department, the UTSA Accounting Department attracts considerableinterest from employers who are attempting to increase the diversity of their workforces.Strong Relationships with the Local Accounting Community-- Because of the size andquality of the accounting program at UTSA, the Department of Accounting has an exceptionallystrong relationship with the public accounting firms and major employers in the region. Largenumbers of UTSA accounting graduates are employed in the firms and industries in SanAntonio. These employees are now advancing through the corporate ranks of their employerfirms. As they reach the top levels of management we will have a strong base to draw on forsupport.Access to External Funding for PhD Students – Accounting as a profession has made a majorcommitment to providing support for future faculty members. UTSA can have access to thisfunding to support our students. The KPMG/PhD Project is a program that provides significantfunding to minority students who wish to pursue PhDs in Accounting. Three of our facultymembers are PhD Project alumni who have remained active in the organization. Several of ourPhD students have received funding in the past. The availability of these funds can help usrecruit quality PhD students into the PhD program in the future.4. Department of Accounting Strategic Challenges (pages 7-8)As with the College as a whole, the Department of Accounting is faced with the realities of evertighter budgets. While the Department of Accounting does not have independent budgetauthority, we are affected by the state of University budget and the allocations from the College.With increasing emphasis on research, we are challenged to meet the travel and data needs of ourfaculty and PhD students. Our M&O budget continues to be static even though we have anexpanding mission with the addition of the PhD program. We anticipate retirement of several