Reflections on Faculty Merit

Dear friends of the Department:

For a department chair, spring is the time for faculty merit reviews. Reviewing this material reminds me of just how lucky I am to work with such outstanding colleagues. In teaching, student evaluations during the past three years assessed Department of Accounting faculty members at an amazing 4.54 on a five-point scale on average. In research, the department ranks first worldwide in research productivity in the discipline’s top three research journals during the past five years, reflecting a diverse array of cutting-edge scholarship in financial and management accounting, auditing, and taxation.

Congratulations are due for three promotion outcomes announced February, conditional on Board of Regents approval. Patrick Badolato has been recommended for promotion to full professor of instruction. Adding to his many teaching accolades, Patrick is currently teaming up with Assistant Professor of Instruction Dan Fannin to revamp our introductory course in financial accounting. Also recommended for promotion to professor of instruction is Kristina Zvinakis, whose leadership as MPA program director has kept us at No. 1 for many years, in addition to her invaluable service as assistant department chair. Third, Assistant Professor Sara Toynbee has been recommended for promotion to the rank of associate professor, with tenure. Sara has distinguished herself as an emerging leader in research on accounting regulation, including regulatory effects and the factors that influence regulators. Like Kristina and Patrick, Sara is an exemplary teacher.

We have been privileged this academic year to welcome two new full-time accounting faculty members to the Forty Acres. Assistant Professor Hristiana Vidinova joined us in Fall 2024 after completing her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. She is an expert in issues facing financial institutions, reflecting her prior experience with the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance and as an analytics consultant for Experian. She teaches our undergraduate course in financial statement analysis, and you can read more about her here.

Joining our professional-track faculty this semester is Brett Whitaker, who previously taught at Indiana University. Brett also has experience as the director of Tax Operations for ZipRecruiter Inc., Mattel Inc., and Nike Inc. He teaches our courses in corporate taxation, international taxation, and intermediate financial accounting.

I close with deep thanks for the continued support that has helped us maintain the distinction of being the No. 1 accounting program worldwide.

Hook ’em!
Steve