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Call Cynthia Cooper whatever youwant. Just don’t call her a snitch.

She hates that term even more than the“whistle-blower” label she’s been tagged withever since she came forward to expose fraudat WorldCom in 2001. As far as she’s con-cerned, she simply obeyed her highest call-ing — she stood by her ethics and told thetruth.

Cooper, a former internal auditor at thetelecom giant, was the keynote speaker forAccountancy Weekend 2006 in April. Morethan 300 people came to hear her speak. Eventhough times were difficult for her after thescandal was exposed, she said she never con-sidered backing down.

“The decision to come forward was easy,”

Cooper said, “but doing the right thing does-n’t come without a cost.”

The title of Cooper’s presentation was“WorldCom Warnings: What Went Wrong andCorporate Governance Lessons Learned.”Hearing her presentation was educational forall in attendance, but there was more to Cyn-thia Cooper than just the nuts and bolts of

fraud discovery. In a sense, she was speakingon all types of corporate integrity. In fact, shewas and is the face of corporate integrity.

Anyone could encounter the situationthat Cooper faced. She showed the integritythat we want to see in all of our students andalumni. A certified public accountant is essen-tially a protector of the public, and integrity isone of the essential qualities of this profes-sion.

Her presentation included considerabledetails, including who said what to whom, andwho cooperated in the investigation and whodidn’t. Even when then-Chief Financial Offi-cer Scott Sullivan asked her to look else-where, she persisted. She talked about thefears she had during and after the investiga-tion, including retribution from perpetrators.She also worried about WorldCom employeeswho would lose their jobs, but she realizedtheir jobs were in jeopardy anyway with

Inside:

22 From the Dean

33 Patterson Schoolreceives generous supportfrom alumni, friends

55 UM helps alumprepare for success asoil exec

66 Accountancy AwardsBanquet

88 AICPA library offerslook into history ofaccounting

1111 State Legislaturehonors professor

Ex-WorldCom auditor urges peersto stand by ethics in face of fraud

Cynthia Cooper

ACCOUNTANTO L E M I S S

News from the Patterson School of Accountancy at The University of Mississippi www.olemiss.edu/depts/accountancy

continued on Page 2

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06

by Dale Flesher

‘Small decisionsmatter. You must neverlet your ethical values

be compromised by thesuperiors in your

organization.’

—CYNTHIA COOPER

Pho

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Dear Accountancy Alumni:

Morris H. Stocks

F r o m t h e d e a n

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Another busy and exciting academic year has come to an end in the PattersonSchool of Accountancy.

On May 13, we awarded 118 baccalaureate degrees, 50 Master of Accountancydegrees, 18 Master of Taxation degrees and four Doctor of Philosophy degrees.Matt Lusco, a partner with KPMG in Birmingham, Ala. (and father of one of ourgraduates), delivered an inspiring, uplifting address that was well-received by stu-dents, families and friends. Summer classes are under way, and we are enjoying thelargest summer enrollment in our history. The Patterson School continues to growand thrive.

This issue of Ole Miss Accountant will update you on school events and theaccomplishments of our faculty and students, as well as the achievements of ouralumni. You will see that our faculty members are outstanding representatives ofthe Patterson School and The University of Mississippi, that our students are ded-icated and highly motivated, and that our alumni are generous and willing support-ers of the school and the university.

We continuously strive to improve our academic programs. Earlier this year, Itraveled to The University of Mississippi-DeSoto Center to announce the expansionof the Master of Accountancy degree program to that campus. Classes will beginthis fall, and, based on initial applications, we expect a starting class of 15-20 qual-ified students.

Also in this issue, you’ll find out more about our spring internship program,with 46 students participating in the 10-week program this past semester. Studentsinterned with 17 firms in 18 cities in 10 states. We are preparing for the spring 2007class of interns, which includes 73 students.

Accountancy Weekend 2006 was a great success, beginning with our annualHonors Banquet. While many awards were presented to our students, the ceremo-ny was highlighted by the induction of Larry Hardy into the Accountancy Hall ofFame. This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award was Dr.J Shaw, who has been a member of the Patterson School faculty for four years. Dr.Tonya K. Flesher, professor and Arthur Andersen lecturer, was named OutstandingResearcher of the Year.

The next day, our continuing education program featured wonderful guestspeakers, including our keynote speaker Cynthia Cooper. Cooper’s stand for herethics helped expose accountancy fraud at WorldCom and led to her being namedone of Time magazine’s 2002 Persons of the Year. More than 100 attendees regis-tered for the event, and we are pleased that interest continues to grow.

In May, Beta Alpha Psi hosted its second annual golf tournament to raise fundsfor student activities and travel. This year, the event began with an extremely pop-ular “meet-the-firms” session for students and concluded with the awarding of theBurkett Cup to the winning team from KPMG. This award is in honor of retired fac-ulty member Dr. Homer Burkett, who served as sponsor of Beta Alpha Psi for manyyears.

As always, I would like to express my deep gratitude for your support of thePatterson School of Accountancy. Our alumni and friends are tremendously gener-ous and a model for the rest of the university. Please visit us when you are on cam-pus, and let us know if we can be of help to you in any way.

Sincerely,

Morris H. StocksDean

WorldCom on the verge of implosion. “Small decisions matter,” Cooper told

the audience. “You must never let your eth-ical values be compromised by the superi-ors in your organization.”

When I asked her about her futureplans, Cooper said she is working on a bookabout the scandal and plans to continue lec-turing. Although she hasn’t beenapproached for other auditing positions, shehas been asked about taking on other lead-ership positions.

The faculty of the School of Accountan-cy stress the importance of ethics in everyaccounting class, and Cynthia Cooper’sstory only underscored that. She addressedethics and integrity from the viewpoint ofan auditor, but the subject matter was equal-ly applicable to every other course in theaccounting curriculum.

Similarly, ever yone in the audiencecould take her message to heart, even if heor she was not an auditor. In fact, you don’thave to be an accountant to appreciate thelife-changing upheavals that Cooper experi-enced and caused. Cynthia Cooper is a heroand an inspiration to all of us.

Dale Flesher teaches ethics atthe Patterson School ofAccountancy. On the dayCynthia Cooper came to OleMiss to lecture on the 2001WorldCom fraud scandal,Flesher and Cooper comparednotes on how the principles heteaches match up with her real-

life experiences. Flesher is the associate dean of thePatterson School of Accountancy and the ArthurAndersen Alumni Professor of Accountancy.

Cynthia Cooper, continued from Page 1

ACCOUNTANCYW E E K E N D

2007

APRIL 27-28, 2007

Mark your

Calendar!

On its sur face, the PattersonSchool of Accountancy isbricks and mortar formed intoclassrooms equipped with thelatest technology and teeming

with bright students and an exceptionalfaculty.

But there’s much more to the Patter-son School. It is also the alumni andfriends who have provided many of theresources that make this unique environ-ment for accounting education possible.

“We consider it a privilege to ser veour students in this wonderful process;however, all of these achievements couldnot have been accomplished without thegenerous suppor t of our alumni andfriends,” said Dean Morris Stocks.

Established in 1979, the school wasone of the first independent schools ofaccountancy in the country and was Mis-sissippi’s first to receive accreditation of itsbachelor’s and master’s accountancy pro-grams. It is a national leader in educatingoutstanding students who rise to the top oftheir professions.

The school confers one undergradu-ate degree, the Bachelor of Accountancy.A large majority of students continuethrough a fifth year, earning either a Mas-ter of Accountancy or Master of Taxationdegree. In addition, the school’s doctoralprogram enhances leadership status.

The Public Accounting Report ranks

the Patterson School No. 23 in the countryin its 24th Annual Professor’s Survey of the2005 top undergraduate programs. UMaccountancy graduates are highly sought-after, and placement in professional posi-tions approaches 100 percent every year.More than half of undergraduate seniorsparticipate in a 10-week internship pro-gram, which leads to placements acrossthe country.

The school’s path to prominence actu-ally began in the 1970s, when Ernst &Young and Arthur Andersen and Compa-ny, at the time two of the Big Eightfirms, contributed $80,000 and $75,000respectively.

“These two grants helped us start thisschool and, of course, helped us gain theuniversity’s approval of separate status,”said longtime professor and former deanJames Davis, holder of the H. EugenePeery Chair of Accountancy. “The adminis-tration realized at the time that this depart-ment was behind and that accountancyeducation was heading toward separateschool status across the country.”

During the 1980s, Arthur Andersenmade another significant contribution:$100,000 to endow a lectureship inaccountancy.

The next major private funding for theschool came during the Campaign for OleMiss under the leadership of then-Chan-cellor Gerald Turner and at the insistenceR

etur

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Inv

estm

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Patterson School continues to grow with support from alumni and friends

continued on Page 15

3

E.H. Patterson School of Accountancy

by Elaine Pugh

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Kevi

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ain

Learning accounting principles ina classroom is one thing. But as46 Ole Miss student internslearned last winter, nothing canprepare you for the first day of

work at a major accounting firm duringindustry’s busiest season.

“To actually have to start doing realwork, it was kind of scary,” said Will Drum-mond (BAccy 06), who interned at Price-waterhouseCoopers’ Atlanta of fice. “I’dheard going in that it was a whole differentballgame. The recruiters would tell youthere’s no real way to prepare for it, and itturned out to be true.”

Providing students with that taste ofreality is exactly what Mark Wilder hopesfor. As coordinator of the Patterson Schoolof Accountancy’s intern program, Wilderhelps students test the waters, many ofthem at the “Big Four” accounting firms ofPricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young,KPMG and Deloitte & Touche. Summerand fall internships are available, butWilder said spring interns face the great-est challenge because of the fast and furi-ous auditing season.

“It’s the best time of year for studentsto get a good, busy experience that’s rep-resentative of what it’ll be like when theyget the job,” said Wilder, an associate pro-fessor who teaches intermediate account-ing. “It’s a growth experience that gives thestudents a whole new perspective on thefield.”

How’s this for perspective: Student,meet 60-hour work week. And we’re nottalking about making coffee runs, either.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect,but I knew there would be a lot of work,”

said Carlin Williams (BAccy 06), whointerned at KPMG in Jackson. “But it wasexciting. We were able to experience thetoughest time of the year for our profes-sion. It was high stress, but it was a goodtaste of what it’s really going to be like.”

“They tell you up front that you’re notgoing to just be making copies,” addedKaren Merriwether (BAccy 06), whointerned with PricewaterhouseCoopers inWashington, D.C. “I knew it would be a lit-tle frustrating, but everyone there just told

me to keep working hard, and they helpedme through it.”

In all, the spring semester saw 46 stu-dents intern with 17 firms or companies in18 cities. And while real-world experienceis what draws most interns to the program,there are other incentives. Specifically, aspecial “micro-semester” awaits themwhen they get back to campus, whichmeans they get to stay on schedule forgraduation.

“We of fer two or three courses in acondensed schedule, so students are still

able to finish a semester with 9 to 12hours,” Wilder said. “Many of them alsotake an online course during the intern-ship, and they also get hours for the intern-ship itself. That makes interning ver yattractive.”

But perhaps the biggest incentive todo an internship is job security. Since manyfirms hire their interns full time, studentsreturn to campus knowing a great job iswaiting for them after grad school.

“When I go back to work for Pricewa-

terhouseCoopers, I already know what myresponsibilities will be,” said Olivia Lusco(BAccy 06), who interned in Birmingham.“I know the job. I’ve got some experience[that will] help during grad school. Thefact that we are given this opportunity, itjust sets us apart in the workforce.”

Will Drummond Carlin Williams Olivia Lusco

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A C C O U N T A N C Y N e w s

Intern program gives students taste of real worldby Lee Eric Smith

‘We were able to experience the toughest time of the year for our pro-fession. It was high stress, but it was a good taste of what

it’s really going to be like.’—CARLIN WILLIAMS

Photo

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evin

Bain

After high school, Roland Burns(BAccy, MAccy 82) chose the rightmajor—accountancy, just like his

father. Problem is, he chose the wrongschool.

“I made the mistake of going to Mis-sissippi State,” says Burns, now chief finan-cial of ficer of Comstock Resources inFrisco, Texas, a $1.4 billion oil and gasexploration company. “I waited late todecide and I had a brother there, so that’swhere I went. But I wasn’t really happy atState.”

For tunately, it didn’t take long forBurns to figure out where he reallybelonged. After his freshman year, hetransferred to Ole Miss and found himselfchasing his dream under the tutelage ofacademic legends Gene Peer y, JamesDavis and others.

“When I look back at Ole Miss, thekey part that contributed to my successwas the quality of the professors,” Burnssaid. “Their whole lives revolved aroundthe students, and you knew that themoment you got there. They really took aninterest in their students’ careers and per-sonal development.”

Burns’ instructors would be proud ofhis accomplishments. After earning hisbachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1982,he spent eight years with Arthur AndersenLLP. That’s where he was introduced to theoil and gas industry, and, in 1990, he joinedComstock Resources as CFO. Since then,he’s watched his career flourish in tandemwith Comstock’s growth — from an esti-mated market capitalization of $35 millionin 1990 to more than $1.4 billion today.

And there’s more: In 2004, Burns wascritical in establishing Comstock’s sistercompany, Bois d’Arc Energy. Like Com-stock, Bois d’Arc is a publicly traded oiland gas exploration company, and Burnsis its chief financial officer.

“Roland has been very instrumental inachieving the goals that fast growing pub-lic companies set for themselves and theirinvestors,” said Comstock Resources CEOand President M. Jay Allison. “When you

grow a company like Comstock, you haveto have leadership. I can’t think of any bet-ter or more capable CFO able to lead andgrow a company than Roland Burns. He’sachieved some unbelievable things in hiscorporate life.”

For Ole Miss alum Bruce Ware,Burns’ influence is much more personal.Ware (BBA 99) grew up in Newton, Miss.,but was relocating to his native Dallas areaand saw Burns’ name in an industr ypublication.

“The article mentioned he was an OleMiss alum, so I gave him a call,” Ware said.“He was so busy at the time that it took hima month to get back to me, but he did.”

That phone call turned into a cup ofcoffee, which morphed into Ware’s currentposition as assistant treasurer at Com-stock.

“Bruce saw how busy it was here andoffered to help,” Burns said. “It was diffi-cult for me to delegate because I was usedto doing everything. But Bruce helped usdelegate and build up our financial teamhere. He’s been a really big help.”

Along the way, Ware began to look upto Burns as a mentor and friend.

“What’s so shockingly refreshing isthat underneath all this corporate leader-ship ability you’ve got a guy who’s witty,fun to be around and approachable,” Waresaid. “He’s obviously successful, but he’sstill really concerned about making a dif-ference in his community.”

Ware is speaking of how involved

Burns and his wife, Sheryl, have becomeat the Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco,Texas. What started as the usual interestin their kids’ school turned into takingresponsibility for spearheading a $1.7 mil-lion fundraising campaign that resulted ina sparkling new building on 23 acres.

“When I first met Roland and Sheryl,there was much work to be done,” said theacademy’s Head of School Jody Capehart.“In 33 years as an educator, I’ve workedwith countless business people, and it hasbeen an extraordinary privilege to workwith Roland.”

Burns’ ties with Ole Miss run deep.He makes it back for at least one footballgame each season, and even though hisdaughter, Stephanie, doesn’t care much forfootball, sons Derek and Tyler are hugeOle Miss football fans. And this summer,Comstock hired its first intern from OleMiss. In short, there are plenty of reasonswhy Burns wants to give back to the schoolthat he feels gave him so much.

“Where I am in my career, you want tocontinue to support that ef fort,” he said.“The quality of the program there is out-standing. It’s very rewarding to continueto be a part of something so successful.”

‘When I look back atOle Miss, the key partthat contributed to my

success was thequality of theprofessors.’

—ROLAND BURNS

5

Oilman credits UM for laying foundation for successby Lee Eric Smith

Roland Burns

Accountancy Alumni Academic Achievement AwardFrom left: Katie Finnegan, Carolyn Eley, Ann Herring, Bentley Crawford, HolliKimbrough, Sweta Desai. Not pictured: Johannah Faulk Bullard, Eleanor High-tower, Caroline Murphree, Philip Rowland, Suzy Schaffhauser, Sarah Wall.

Roger and Susie Friou ScholarshipFront row from left: Ann Barrett Blackburn, Emily Wilkins, Brandee Buntyn. Backrow from left: Ben Van Landuyt, Chad Deweese, Carlin Williams. Not pictured:Charles Allen, Brett Cantrell, Justin Smith, Ty Tucker.

James W. Davis Scholarship in AccountancyFrom left: Scott Stewart, Professor James Davis, Stephanie Henson, Baker Cannada.

Lefoldt & Company/Waller FellowshipFrom left: Judy Waller Shannon of Lefoldt & Company, Eleanor Hightower.

Taylor MedalistsFrom left: Clark Mills, Johannah Faulk Bullard, Eleanor Hightower, Caroline Mur-phree. Not pictured: Olena Kulikova.

2006 Associated Accountancy Student Body OfficersFront row from left: Katie Finnegan, Betsy Bailey, Carolyn Eley. Back row: WillDrummond, Taylor Fendley, Trey Gunn.

A C C O U N T A N C Y A W A R D S

Accountancy Weekend 2006 featured the Patterson School of Accountancy’s 19th Annual Honors Banquet at Paul B. Johnson Commons.Below are some of the honorees. Thanks to sponsors Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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Phi Kappa PhiFront row from left: Jennifer Gilliam, Whitney Farrell, Carlin Williams, MaryMaxwell, Sweta Desai. Back row from left: Bentley Crawford, Katie Finnegan,Karen Merriwether, Emily Watkins, Ann Herring, Chad Deweese. Not pictured:Jeremy Caviezel, Charles Harris, Eleanor Hightower, Tyler Skelton, Charles Allen.

Who’s WhoFront row from left: Jennifer Gilliam, Mary Maxwell, Abby Reeves, Caroline Mur-phree. Back row from left: John Adrian, Oliver Williams, Baker Cannada, SharonSalu. Not pictured: Johannah Faulk Bullard, Rebekah Hebert, Olena Kulikova,Allison Ashford, Brandee Buntyn, Lindsay Davis, Charles Harris, Lauren Hughes,Olivia Lusco.

Accountancy Alumni Hall of Fame2006 inductee Larry Hardy (front, third from left) joins other members (from left)Jimmy Fried, Homer Burkett, Leo Boolos, Arnold Young, Howard Davidson,Charles Taylor, Wesley Caldwell, Dean Morris Stocks.

Collins Scholarship in AccountancyFrom left: Lamarcus Jones, Mitch Collins of Equity Inns, Brittney Smith.

Will Townsend Memorial ScholarshipBo Burnham (left) received the Will Townsend Memorial Scholarship, named inhonor of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity member who died when the fraternityhouse burned in 2004. Professor Mark Wilder congratulates Burnham on the honor.

Outstanding FacultyDean Morris Stocks (left) with Professor Tonya Flesher and Professor J Shaw.Flesher was honored as Outstanding Researcher of the Year, while Shaw wasselected as Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Photos by Kevin Bain

A C C O U N T A N C Y N e w s

8

An archivist for the Deloitte &Touche accounting firm car-ried a heavy collection ofclient letters and engagementcontracts—in the handwriting

of the firm’s original partners and dated1903-1907—down 93 flights of stairs tosafety after the 1993 bombing of the WorldTrade Center in New York.

After the same frantic trip to protectthe valuable collection was repeated onSeptember 11, 2001, the day two terrorist-piloted planes hit the trade center, Deloitte& Touche principals decided the historicdocuments needed a safer home.

The international CPA firm presentedthe papers to the largest accountancylibrary collection in the world, housed onthe UM-Oxford campus. The resources—including the oldest known accountancybook, written by Luca Pacioli in 1494—reveal much about accounting practicesthrough the years, as well as provide aglimpse of life in general.

“The accounting records of an individ-ual’s business, which have survived theperilous years, enable the accounting histo-rian to study the characteristics of earliergenerations,” said Andrew Sharp, profes-sor of accountancy at Spring Hill Collegein Mobile and a frequent visitor to the UMcollection. “Accounting journals andledgers contain more than mere numbersrepresenting receipts and disbursements.They reveal what it was like to have livedin an earlier time.”

The gift from Deloitte & Touche (for-merly Haskins & Sells), for example,includes letters explaining the details ofmore than 700 client engagements, includ-ing speculations that specific named indi-viduals were perpetrating frauds.

“Accounting history is a worthwhilefield of study because the mistakes of thepast can help us avoid similar problems inthe future,” said Dale Flesher, associatedean and professor of accountancy at UM.“For example, the recent Enron debacle isalmost identical to a similar fraud perpe-trated by Ivar Kreuger during the 1920sand up to 1932. Both were the biggest

bankruptcies in history at the time of theirfilings. Both were based on similar issues.Unfor tunately, most people today wereeither unaware of Ivar Kreuger and hisfinancial reporting shenanigans or didn’t

think what he did could be replicated.” UM’s prominence in accountancy

library resources began to build with the1987 acquisition of the National Tax Histo-

ry Research Center, an initiative creditedto Tonya Flesher, former dean and currentprofessor of accountancy. The 7,000-vol-ume collection features documents datingto 1862. In 1993, accountancy doctoral stu-dent Tommie Singleton, now a professor atUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, per-suaded pioneers of electronic data-process-ing auditing to donate to the National EDPAuditing Archival Center.

A niche was in the making, and beforelong the National Library of the Accoun-tancy Profession (the library of the Amer-ican Institute of Certified Public Accoun-tants, or AICPA), McMickle AccountingHistor y Librar y and the AccountancyVideotape Librar y followed. The AICPAmaterials—which amounted to 150,000pieces—came to Ole Miss in 2001 throughthe ef for ts of then-accountancy DeanJames W. Davis, accountancy professors,university administration, former Missis-sippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, the Mississip-pi congressional delegation and a $200,000

AICPA library a gold mine for accountancy history buffs

continued on Page 11

The AICPA library at Ole Miss allows students, faculty and researchers to dig into historic journals, ledgers and documents to better understand accountancy principles.

by Tina Hahn

‘Accounting history is aworthwhile field of

study because the mis-takes of the past can

help us avoid similarproblems in the

future.’

—DALE FLESHER

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9

As a high-school student in the1960s, Larr y Hardy (BAccy68, MAccy 69) dreamed ofjoining America’s fledglingspace program. After all, who

wasn’t inspired by astronauts Alan Shep-ard, John Glenn and other heroes of theday?

However, after he enrolled at OleMiss, Hardy decided engineering wasn’tfor him and switched his major. That’swhere he found his real hero.

“I was ‘discovered’ by Professor GenePeery while I was floundering around inthe business school,” Hardy said. “He toldme I was going to be an accountant andtold me which courses to take. Had it notbeen for Professor Peery, I have no ideawhere I would have landed. I am ver ygrateful to him for sending me in the rightdirection.”

That direction led Hardy to a success-ful career in public accounting. Over theyears, he has said thank you to his almamater many times in both ser vice andfinancial support. The Patterson School ofAccountancy recognized his commitmentduring Accountancy Weekend by induct-ing him into the school’s Alumni Hall ofFame in April. Dean Morris Stocks paid

tribute to his friend at the awards banquet. “We are so pleased that Larry Hardy

is now a part of the Patterson School ofAccountancy Hall of Fame,” Stocks told theaudience. “Larry has been tremendouslysuccessful in his professional endeavors.He has been a leader among our alumni byserving on our advisory board, chairingfundraising drives and giving selflessly ofhis own resources. Larry has been a won-derful example for our younger alumni tofollow.”

A native of Col-umbus, Miss., Hardygraduated from Ste-phen D. Lee HighSchool in 1964. Afterfinishing his degree atUM, he joined theMemphis of fice ofErnst & Ernst (nowErnst & Young).

Just as ProfessorPeery predicted, Har-dy spent his entirecareer in public ac-counting with greatsuccess. After takingearly retirement fromErnst & Young in2000, he became vicepresident of tax forAutoZone, one of thefirm’s clients. He re-tired from AutoZone inJanuary 2006 and now plans to serve onfor-profit and nonprofit boards, and “do alittle consulting and travel.”

Besides Peery, Hardy recalls others atUM who made a difference in his future.

“I also quickly met Professor JamesDavis, and he reinforced my decision to

major in accounting. Both Gene and Jimmytook a sincere interest in their studentsand quickly became my friends as well asmy teachers. Other professors wereCharles Taylor, Carl Nabors and Joe Cerny.All contributed to the education I neededto pursue my career in accountancy.

“Because of the way these professorstook an interest in me, I have always felt anobligation to the university and particular-ly to the School of Accountancy to returnanything that I can,” Hardy said.

In addition to an education, Hardy alsopoints to the “Ole Miss tradition” as some-thing he has cherished over the years.

“Many schools have very good educa-tion programs but little else,” he said. “OleMiss takes an interest in its students, andyou forge friendships for life. The cama-raderie that develops remains with you for-ever and pulls you back and makes youwant to stay involved.”

In giving back, Hardy emphasizes theimportance of building support in the wayof scholarships for future generations ofstudents. “When I attended Ole Miss, veryfew academic scholarships were available.I made it through with the help of my par-ents, summer jobs and student loans.

“Today the job-placement rate for theschool approaches 100 percent, and I amhappy to see that many accountancy grad-uates begin to contribute to the schoolonce they are employed. With state fund-ing continuing to decline, the school’s con-tinued success depends on these privatedonations.”

Retired AutoZone exec inducted into Alumni Hall of Fame

‘Ole Miss takes an interest in its students, and you forge friendships for life.’

—LARRY HARDY

Larry Hardy (left), the newest member into the Patterson School ofAccountancy Hall of Fame, receives a plaque from his friend and mentor Professor James Davis.

by Elaine Pugh

Photo

by K

evin

Bain

On the first day of classes dur-ing summer intersession(May 15-27), J Shaw is back inhis office following a lengthysession of his ACCY 201 class.

On the dark carpet in his Conner Hall suiteis a trail of powder y-white footprints.Chalk, in fact.

“They’re mine,” he says. “During athree-hour class session, I do a lot of writ-ing on the chalkboard and that’s the fall-out.”

The chalk dust also could be consid-ered symbolic of the real trail Shaw hasbeen leaving since he joined the faculty in2002. It all fits with his style of giving 100percent in the classroom, which is what ledto students’ voting him as the PattersonSchool of Accountancy’s OutstandingTeacher of the Year for 2005-06.

“Dr. Shaw is the most challengingteacher I have ever had, but I would neverhesitate to take his classes over and overagain,” said graduate student Jessica Bog-gan. “His energy and comedy triggerways to actually make accounting quiteinteresting.”

Shortly after Dean Morris Stocks pre-

sented the award, Shaw demonstrated whyhe received it.

“I happened by Conner Hall on theevening of the honors banquet, just afterhe had been presented the OutstandingTeacher award,” Stocks said. “And therehe was, holding a late-night study sessionfor his students in preparation for an exam.

“That’s the kind of teacher he is,”Stocks said. “He is an excellent and com-mitted teacher who sets high standards forhimself and expects the same from hisstudents.”

Shaw said he feels very honored bythe award.

“The students in the Patterson Schoolof Accountancy are exceptional,” Shawsaid. “I am always amazed at how smartand hardworking they are, and to behonored by them in this way is ver ygratifying.”

A native of southern Oklahoma, Shawattended Oklahoma State University,where he received bachelor’s, master’s anddoctoral degrees in accountancy. Aftercompleting his master’s, he worked twoyears with Arthur Andersen in Tulsa, thenthree years in the tax department of Wal-

Mart, Inc., in Bentonville, Ark. Looking for his next professional step

following his doctorate, Shaw says, “Myoffer from Ole Miss was the most appeal-ing, including far and away the nicest townand most beautiful campus.”

Shaw said that as an undergraduate heknew he wanted to get his doctorate.“When I left school, I knew I intended toreturn for my Ph.D. and would probablyend up teaching. Teaching combined withresearch is to me an ideal combination, thebest of both worlds. If you’re on the fore-front in research, then it’s complementaryto your teaching.”

Shaw specializes in international finan-cial reporting. His article on the differencein earnings management for U.S. man-agers and U.K. managers was recently pub-lished in the Journal of InternationalAccounting Research.

“The paper finds that despite dif fer-ences in the corporate governance struc-tures between U.S. and U.K. firms, thereare similar levels of earnings manage-ment,” Shaw said.

Aside from his profession, Shawenjoys time with family, including his wife,Kim, and their two children, Bill, 13, andJulie, 10.

In his spare time, he also started todabble in photography, something hebecame interested in soon after the firstdigital cameras came out. He enjoys play-ing with photo software too—he once usedPhotoshop to play a little trick on facultycolleague Dave Nichols.

“I did it by cutting and pasting Daveinto a set of our family vacation pictures,”Shaw said. “It appeared that Dave had goneon vacation with us and was lurking in theshadows on every corner. We both got abig laugh out of that.”

As for the business end of his hobby,Shaw said his biggest undertaking so farhas been a composite for a fraternity. “Itwill take me a long time to pay of f myinvestment in equipment at the rate I’mgoing,” he says. “It’s time-consuming and itcan be work, but I enjoy it.”

A C C O U N T A N C Y N e w s

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2006 Teacher of the Year leaves trail, students follow

J Shaw and family

by Elaine Pugh

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Shaw

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dding to an impressiveand lengthy list of acco-lades, associate professorof accountancy MarkWilder was recognized for

his work at Mississippi’s 19th annualHigher Education Appreciation Day/Working for Academic Excellence.

HEADWAE has honored thestate’s top teachers and students sincethe Mississippi Legislature establishedthe program in 1988. Honorees are

selected by administrators at theirrespective institutions based onscholastic performance, experience,teaching record and other criteria. Alsohonored at the February ceremony inJackson was Ole Miss student RebeccaBer trand, 2005-06 president of theAssociated Student Body.

“Dr. Wilder and Ms. Bertrand aretwo of the university’s most distin-guished citizens,” said Tim Hall, associ-ate provost. “They represent—in schol-

arly ability, classroom performance anddedication to ser vice — the idealsprized by the university. We’re delight-ed that the Mississippi Legislature hasrecognized their achievements.”

Wilder, Bertrand and representa-tives from 35 other public and privateuniversities and colleges were wel-comed and recognized by the stateLegislature at the Capitol.

A luncheon honoring the groupconcluded with a program featuring Lt.Gov. Amy Tuck as mistress of cere-monies. Blake Wilson, president of theMississippi Economic Council, was theguest speaker.

“The Mississippi Legislature, thecorporate community and othersinvolved in higher education are giventhe opportunity to recognize the aca-demic achievements of outstanding stu-dents and faculty at our institutions ofhigher learning,” Tuck said. “Thesehonorees, through their personal andacademic achievement, demonstratethat a quality education can be foundright here in Mississippi’s colleges anduniversities.”

Wilder was recently named the

2006 Outstanding Educator by the Mis-sissippi Society of CPAs. A member ofthe UM faculty since 1993, he wasawarded the two top campuswide fac-ulty awards last year: the Elsie M.Hood Outstanding Teacher Award andthe Faculty Achievement Award. Heheads the accountancy school’s highlysuccessful student internship program.He holds a Ph.D. in accounting fromFlorida State University.

State Legislature honors Wilderduring February appreciation day

grant from the Robert M. Hearin Founda-tion to move library materials to campus.

“The University of Mississippi is one ofthe nation’s most well-respected names inaccountancy education,” said AICPA VicePresident Jay Rothberg when the collectionwas moved. “We at the AICPA are pleasedthat our collection will reside with an insti-tution that has contributed so much toexcellence in the profession.”

The holdings, which are housed in theuniversity’s John D. Williams Library andConner Hall, serve as a central resource notonly for the UM accountancy school butalso for university researchers and profes-sional colleagues throughout the countryand the world. The library receives 500-600contacts each month, some from as far awayas India, Egypt, China and Russia.

The oldest and rarest items in the col-lections essentially are treated as museumexhibits and include the Pacioli volumefrom 1494. Taken as a whole, the account-ancy holdings are massive.

“To put the size of our collection intoperspective, it should be pointed out thatsome universities with accounting pro-grams subscribe to fewer than a dozenaccounting journals,” Flesher said. “Theuniversities with the best doctoral programsin accounting may subscribe to between 30and 50 journals. Our library has more than1,300 journal titles in accountancy andfinance.”

When an institution can boast of thelargest collection, scholars and practicingprofessionals alike want to see it. Four inter-national accountancy conferences havebeen drawn to campus because of theaccountancy library holdings. The latestwas the 10th World Congress of AccountingHistorians in 2004, which had previouslybeen held in Melbourne, Madrid, London,Pisa, Sydney, Kyoto and Brussels.

Gar y John Previts, professor ofaccountancy and associate dean for under-graduate and integrated programs at CaseWestern Reserve University in Cleveland,relies on UM’s resources for his research.

“There are always pleasant surprises—materials which had been stored away, pam-phlets which have not been available and,of course, the extensive early materialswhich document the original printed workson accounting.”

AICPA, continued from Page 8

‘These honorees...demonstrate that a qual-ity education can be found right here in Mis-

sissippi’s colleges and universities.’

—LT. GOV. AMY TUCK

Mark Wilder

by Elaine Pugh

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A C C O U N T A N C Y d o n o r s

Mr. Gerald M. AbdallaMs. Dorine A. AdamsMr. Olen S. AkersMr. Ronald H. AldridgeMr. Robert H. Alexander Jr.All Star Financial Group, LLCDr. Barry G. AllenMrs. Hallie L. AndersonMrs. Jennifer M. AndersonMrs. Melinda W. AndersonMrs. Lisa M. AndrewsMr. Ronald G. ApplewhiteCol. Charles AshleyMr. James E. Athanaelos Jr.Mr. Barry W. AtkinsDr. Keith E. AtkinsonAutoZoneMr. Thomas W. Avent Jr.Axa FoundationMrs. Ashley J. AyresMs. Sue Smith BabbMrs. Jackie P. BaileyMr. Jason L. BaileyMr. Robert A. BaileyMrs. Eileen BallockBancorp South FoundationMr. Daniel F. BarberMr. Walter B. Barlow Jr.Mr. Dudley M. BarnesMr. John B. BarrackBDO Seidman, LLPMr. John B. BeardMr. Larry D. BelueMr. Raymond L. Bergin Jr.Mr. James B. BiddyMrs. Nell King BiegerMrs. Patricia G. BiggersDr. Khamis M. BilbeisiMrs. Francine H. BlackmonMr. Louis J. BlanchardMr. Joel K. BoboMr. Charles W. BolandBoolos CPA FirmMr. Leo Boolos Jr.Mrs. Maradith T. BooneMs. Jennifer Stoner BouchillonMr. Giles BoundsMr. Kendall O. BowlinMr. Ollie Dee Boykin Jr.Dr. Marianne BradfordMr. Allen Foster BradleyMr. A. Braddock BrawnerMrs. Connie BrezikMr. David I. Bridgers Jr.Bristol-Myers Squibb FoundationMr. Charles L. BrocatoMr. Raymond Brocato Sr.

Mr. Robert P. Broom IIMr. Andrew Gray BryantMs. Karen Renee BryantMr. Eric S. BubrigMr. Jeff BurkhalterMr. F. G. BurnettMs. Sara L. BurneyMr. Roland O. Burns Jr.Mr. Clinton V. ButlerMr. Charles W. Caldwell Jr.Mr. Thomas L. Callicutt Jr.Mr. Charles T. CannadaMr. Don B. CannadaCannon & CompanyMr. Timothy R. CantrellMr. Preston C. Carpenter Jr.Mrs. Lisa D. CarwyleMr. Clellan D. CauseyMr. James T. ChannellMr. William B. CherryChildren’s Clinic Of OxfordMr. Dempsey B. Chittom Jr.Ms. Melanie Elisabeth ChowChristmas in April-GrenadaMr. James S. ChustzMr. Anthony ClarkMr. Charles C. ClarkMs. Mary C. ClarkMrs. Reatha H. ClarkMr. Stephen CloudMrs. Sally K. ClurmanMr. James F. CoatsMr. Christopher W. ColaMr. Richard L. ColemanMr. Walton T. ColemanMr. J. Mitchell CollinsMrs. Crystal G. CombsCommunity Foundation

of Greater MemphisMs. Vickie M. CookMr. William Robert CookMr. Timothy M. CooperMr. Timothy K. CorleyMr. Jeffrey S. CosmanMs. Jean P. CottinghamMr. William W. Cox Jr.Mr. William L. Crim Jr.Mr. Gerald P. CrystalMr. Eugene M. CummingsMr. Robert A. CunninghamMr. Lawrence W. CurboMrs. Kristie F. CutberthMs. Sandra C. DarbyMr. Wallace E. DavenportMrs. Karen J. DavidsonMs. Sara A. DavidsonDavis Pizza Enterprises, Inc

Dr. James W. DavisMr. Sid DavisMr. Walter K. DavisMr. William E. DavisMr. Wayne A. Dawson Jr.Mr. Raymond Dearman Jr.Deloitte & Touche FoundationMr. Edward A. Demiller Jr.Mr. H. Michael DenekaMr. Carl D. DeweeseMr. Daniel V. DixonMr. Kenneth L. DonahueMr. Colt DoomMr. William M. DouglassMr. Robert W. DowdyMr. Roderick V. DraperMr. Wallace L. Duke Jr.Dr. E.E. DavidsonMrs. Gail C. EavesMr. Boyd M. EdwardsMrs. Yvonne M. EdwardsDr. Rick ElamMr. David ElksMr. Robert B. Ellis IIIMr. Archie W. EnglandEntergy CorporationMrs. Allison M. EntrekinMr. Jeffrey EricksonErnst & YoungErnst & Young FoundationErnst & Young, LLPMrs. Jodi Jefcoat ErvinMrs. Kathy H. EureMr. Bobby W. Evans Jr.Mrs. Wynlen F. EversoleExxonMobil FoundationF.O. Givens Sr. & Jr.Ms. Emily E. FairMs. Dianene G. FantMrs. Vivian S. FarrisMrs. Claudia R. FathMr. George Alfred Fenger Jr.Mrs. Joel Laim FergusonDr. Walker E. FesmireMr. Jon K. FinleyFirst National Bank-OxfordMrs. Jennifer C. FlanaganDr. Dale L. FlesherDr. Tonya K. FlesherMrs. A. S. FloydMrs. Tina A. File FloydMr. Brian M. FolkMs. Mary G. FontenotMr. Robert B. FoosheeDr. Sharon K. FordMrs. Marion M. FoxMrs. Kim E. Francis

Mrs. Margaret FranetovichMrs. Penny B. FrazerMs. Mary Howard FreemanDr. George R. FrenchMr. Jacob M. Fried Jr.Mr. Benjamin L. FriersonMr. Roger P. FriouMr. Brian W. FyfeMr. Anthony G. GainesLt Col. Robert B. Gann, USMCMrs. Mary Howell McIntosh GannMr. Richard D. GarnerMr. George T. GastonMrs. Gloria GatlinMrs. Lori B. GeigerGeorgia-Pacific FoundationMr. Valdis GercensMr. Richard T. Gernert Jr.Mr. Gerard R. GibertMr. Thomas L. GibsonMrs. Pamela Cloud GithensGlaxoSmithKline FoundationMr. Brant GodboldMr. James R. GordonMr. Jay Gore IIIMr. William Gottshall Jr.Mrs. Camilla Webber GouldMr. Larry L. GranthamMrs. Margaret M. GranthamMr. Randy L. GravesMrs. Claire L. GregoryGrenada Clinic For Women, PAGrenada County Chamber

of CommerceMr. William G. GriesbeckMr. Jeremy B. GriffinMr. Joseph P. GriffinThe Hon. Thomas GriffisMr. G. O. Griffith Jr.Ms. Catharine M. GrimesMr. James A. GrimesMr. John R. GrishamMr. Lloyd M. GrissingerMr. Charles S. GroshonMrs. Louise L. GrovesMrs. Amanda C. GuffordMrs. Renee T. GwinMrs. Laurie Sue HaleMrs. Mary D. HallMrs. G. A. HamiltonDr. Glyn W. HanberyMr. Barry D. HarbourMr. Larry J. HardyMs. Jana E. HargraveMr. Ben Bond HarrellMr. Joe D. Havens Jr.Mr. Aubrey C. Hayes Jr.

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Mr. Lionel Henderson Jr.Mrs. Sharon W. HendrixMr. William S. Henley IIMs. Patricia L. HenryMrs. Julie Bradley HensleyMr. A. E. Henson Jr.Mr. James E. Hicks IIIMr. William B. HicksMr. Cyrus H. Higgs IIIMs. Jean W. HillMr. Jimmy L. HillMr. D. Kirkland HinesMr. R. T. HinesDr. Thomas G. HodgeMrs. Catherine A. HodgsonMrs. Liesa J. HolemanMr. Clayton Joseph HollandHolmes Community CollegeMr. Miller P. Holmes Jr.Mr. Jason L. HoneycuttHorne CPA GroupMr. William F. HorneThe Hon. David W. Houston IIIMrs. Anna P. HowellMr. James S. HudsonMr. Carson M. HughesMrs. Kimberly G. HumphreysMrs. Lee A. HunterMr. Gregory P. HusnikMr. Paul R. HustMrs. Judy H. HydeMr. Robert D. HydeInternal Medicine Associates-

OxfordInternational Paper Company

FoundationMr. Selby A. IrelandMr. Michael J. IupeMr. Quinon R. IvyJ. E. Vance & Co.Mrs. Geneva C. JacksonMr. Kevin Q. JacksonMr. Walter T. JagodinskiMrs. Amy L. JamesMs. Carol Ann JanousJefferies & Company Inc.Mr. James Cherry JenkinsMrs. Jennifer Johnston JenkinsMr. Jay L. JerniganMr. Alex G. Johnson IIIMr. Travis R. JohnsonMr. Charles L. Joiner Jr.Mr. Thomas E. Jolly Jr.Mr. Clayton H. JonesMr. David W. JonesMs. Lesley Ann JonesMr. M. Kent Jones Jr.

Mrs. Moneke S. Jones-RobinsonJones-Zander LTDDr. Robert E. JordanJPL Financial Services Inc.Keeton & Embry, PAMr. Samuel C. KellyDr. R. M. KhayatMr. Kerry G. KingKiwanis Club of GrenadaMs. Margret O. KlepzigMr. James T. KnightKPMG FoundationMrs. Tammy W. KumpMr. Roy A. LamarMrs. Jamie Pennington LambertMrs. Suzanne W. LangfordMrs. Dabney G. LavelleMr. Ashley LeeLefoldt & Co, PAMr. Christopher M. LeopoldMr. James A. Lesemann Jr.Mr. Brook H. LesterMr. Jerry L. LevensMr. Ricky P. LivingstonMr. Charles S. LockeMr. Casey D. LongLorman Education ServicesMrs. Shannon Marie LovejoyMr. Leonard M. LurieMr. C. Matthew LuscoMr. Robert Leslie Lyon Jr.Mrs. Kristen S. MacadamsMr. Shannon R. MacArthurMr. D. Neil Magruder Jr.Mr. Ralph H. MarbleMs. Carol Anne MarionMr. Charles F. Marion Jr.Mr. Scott T. MarshallJames Gilbert Martin, CFPMr. Michael E. MartinFr. Troy W. Mashburn Jr.Mrs. Deborah B. MathewsDr. D. S. MauldinMrs. Tamatha B. MauldinMr. Nick A. Mavar Jr.Mr. Stuart M. MaxeyMs. Janet B. MayMrs. Roberta S. MayMrs. Tara D. MayMayo Mallette, PLLCMr. William T. Mays Jr.Mr. Edward S. McAlexanderMr. John W. McCalebMr. Burwell B. McClendonMrs. Robin Y. McCormickMr. Russell P. McDanielMr. William Michael McDonald Sr.

Mr. Duncan McDuffMr. Robert P. McGahanMs. Eileen M. McGinleyMr. Richard K. McInnisMrs. Lisa Williams McKayCol. James T. McKee, USAFMr. William D. McKellarMr. Michael S. McKeownMs. Laura M. McKinleyMr. James J. McKinneyMr. Kenneth M. McKinneyMrs. Anne E. McLaughlinMr. John M. McMahonMr. Patrick W. McNultyMr. G. G. MeadorsMechanics BankDr. Carol M. MegeheeMs. Pamela MendezMs. Mandy K. MendozaMerchants & Farmers BankDr. Paul Edwin MetrejeanMr. John R. MeyerMrs. Elizabeth T. MichaelsMrs. Beverly Y. MilamMr. David L. MillerMr. Robert D. MimsMr. Lucian S. MinorMississippi Power CompanyMr. Edward L. MixonMr. Buck A. Moore Sr.Mr. Guy W. Moore Jr.Mr. William F. Moore Jr.Mr. Jonathan P. MooreheadMr. Orlando A. MoralesMrs. Sara Randall MorganMr. H. A. Morris Jr.Mr. Timothy R. MortlandMrs. Jeanne M. MoultonMurphy Oil Usa Inc.Mr. J. Blake MurphyMr. Rodney MurphyDr. Clarece R. NashNational Business InstituteMr. James H. Neeld IVMr. Richard C. NewbergDr. R. B. NewellMr. Mark H. NicolasMr. Scott G. NielsenDr. Thomas G. NolandMrs. Cheryl F. NutterMr. Mark C. OdomMr. Joseph D. Oliver IIIMr. Michael OverstreetOxford Insurance AgencyOxford University BankPace Accounting CompanyMs. Georgina L. Pace

Mr. R. M. ParhamMrs. Annette B. ParishMr. Carl A. ParkerMrs. Cindy Dantone ParolliMr. Mark Q. PartinMr. Gary W. PattersonMs. Melody C. PattersonMrs. Lisa M. PearsonMr. John H. PecarekMr. W. P. Pennebaker Jr.Perimeter Foods Inc. No. 2Ms. Edith L. PerryMr. Mickey J. PerryMr. Michael R. PetersPfizer FoundationMr. Daniel G. PieralisiMr. Chris A. PolkMr. Ross B. PolkMr. James E. Poole Jr.Ms. Mary E. PresleyPrice Waterhouse FoundationPricewaterhouseCoopers, LLPMr. Roger L. PritchardMs. Shea Curbo PritchettMr. Floyd E. Pruden Jr.Dr. Tina S. QuinnMr. John P. QuonMr. Daniel RabinowitzMr. Bradford W. RaineyMr. David M. RainsMr. Kenneth C. Rakow Jr.Mr. Lee W. RandallMr. Richard V. RandallMr. Eddie W. Ray Jr.Mr. Fred G. RayMr. Paul A. RayMrs. Tammy B. RayMr. William A. RayDr. James W. RaynerMr. Chester H. Redditt Jr.Residential Energy ManagementRhea & Ivy, PLCDr. William R. RhodesMs. Jennifer L. RiceMr. Scott H. RichisonMr. Brian K. RobersonMr. Michael A. RobertsMr. Terry A. RobertsonMr. Jon D. RodgersMr. David M. RogersMrs. Julie R. RogersMr. Ernest D. RossMs. Martha Lynn RossMs. Sharon K. RowlandRowling Dold & Associates, LLPMrs. Molly Lomax RoyMrs. Pamela K. Roy

13

The Patterson School of Accountancy thanks our friends and donors who supported us with their generosityJanuary 1, 2005 – December 31, 2005.

A C C O U N T A N C Y d o n o r s

Mr. Jerry E. RudmanMr. David C. RuffMr. Richard W. RussMr. Richard Weston Russ Jr.Mr. Harris RussellMrs. April L. RyanSanderson FarmsMrs. Melanie Ligon SandridgeSAP Public Services Inc.Mr. Eric M. SaulMr. David M. ScheiderMr. James D. SchultzDr. Michael George SchumacherSchwab Fund for Charitable GivingSchwartz & Hofflich, LLPMrs. Judy W. ShannonDr. Andrew D. SharpMrs. Jane E. SharpMr. David C. ShawMr. Robert S. Shaw Jr.Ms. Joan C. SheffieldMr. Tommy ShepherdMr. Christopher J. ShinstockDr. Benjamin R. Silliman, CPAMr. William H. Sipes Jr.Smith Turner & ReevesMr. Dennis W. SmithMr. G. Witt Smith Jr.Mr. Gerald A. Smith Jr.Mr. Gregory W. SmithDr. Jack L. SmithMrs. Mary L. SmithMr. William K. SmithMr. Ronald T. SolbergMrs. Anne D. Soldevila

SouthBankSouthwestern/Great AmericanMs. Karen R. SpencerMr. Arthur D. Spratlin Jr.Mrs. Teresa C. StandardMr. Arvil R. StanfordState Farm Companies FoundationMr. Vic SteenMr. Ronald W. StimpsonDr. Morris H. StocksMr. Robert Strickland Jr.Mr. Jeffrey B. StrouseMr. Michael B. SullivanMs. Angela SummersSupervalu Food StoreMrs. Allison Weakley SutherlandMrs. Rhonda C. SwiderMr. H. Michael TatumTau Alpha ChiMr. Alan J. TaylorMr. Ronald G. TaylorMr. William F. TaylorMrs. Paula D. TeagueThe Grenada Family Medicine

ClinicDr. Thomas R. ThiesMs. Bettina D. ThomasMr. James T. Thomas IVMrs. Ouida E. ThomasMr. Robert C. Thompson IIIMrs. Patti G. ThrashMr. B. E. TolbertMrs. Kay TownesMr. Huey L. TownsendMr. John D. Townsend

Mr. William D. TrahanMr. Terry F. TraylorMr. Robert M. TuceiMrs. Frances Virginia TurnageMr. Richard C. Turner IIIMr. Jesse B. Tutor Jr.Mrs. Staci Henson TylerUBS Financial FoundationMs. Charlotte L. UnderwoodUnited Way of Central New MexicoMr. James W. VanderfordMr. J. P. VarnerMr. Joseph E. Varner IIIMr. Mark A. VinesMs. Donna Dukes WadeMr. David J. WagesMr. Gerald D. WagesMrs. Carolyn R. WakefieldDr. Robin L. WakefieldMr. James S. WaldenMrs. Mary Kate G. WalhoodMrs. Janice WalkerMs. Jane M. WalleyMr. Tommy T. WammackMr. M. E. Ward IIIMr. Robert R. WardWatkins Uiberall, PLLCMs. Doris P. WatsonMr. Jon L. WatsonMr. William L. WattMr. Wendell W. WeakleyMrs. Susan S. WeatherholtMr. Michael A. WebbMr. Adam R. WebsterMr. Kenneth A. Weeden

Mr. Robert L. WelbornMr. Joe C. WellerMr. Christopher J. WellsMr. Jerry E. WestMr. Donald A. WhiteMrs. Tina Marie W. WhiteMrs. Tanya R. WilbornDr. Rebecca S. WilkieWilliam L. and Cecilia C. CoxMr. A. T. WilliamsMr. David A. WilliamsMr. David T. WilliamsMrs. Leaanne WilliamsMr. Jeffrey R. WillsDr. Arlette C. WilsonMr. Richard O. WilsonMs. Sandra D. WilsonMrs. Pamela Walker WingerMr. Vance L. WittMrs. Bettie G. WongMr. Brent W. WoodMr. Robert T. WoodsMrs. Nina Margaret WordMr. J. E. WrightMr. George M. Yarbrough Jr.Mrs. Shonda H. YoungMr. Albert E. YowZurich-American Insurance

Note: Diligent efforts were made toensure the accuracy of this list. Pleasenotify the Office of Alumni Affairs at662-915-7375 of any errors.14

Busy year for Beta Alpha PsiIt’s been a busy spring semester for the Ole Miss Chapter

of Beta Alpha Psi. In March, students Betsey Bailey and Sheila Rice, along

with faculty adviser Suzanne McCaffrey, attended the ΒΑΨSoutheast Regional meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Bailey and Ricepresented in the Professional/Service Best Practices competi-tion category and won second place, which included a $250prize. Next March, the Patterson School chapter will hostΒΑΨ’s 2007 Southeast Regional meeting in Memphis.

The local chapter’s annual golf tournament was held inMay, and raised funds for student travel and other PattersonSchool activities. The team from KPMG took home the Bur-kett Cup, named in honor of retired professor Homer Burkett.The winner of the longest drive was UM student AlexDeBardeleben.

In other news, chapter members are working on a ΒΑΨweb site with MIS instructor John Wee. The site will includeinformation for members and firms, such as a meeting sched-ule, membership roster, resume postings and other scheduledevents. The site will debut later this year. The team from KPMG in Jackson took home the Burkett Cup during ΒΑΨ’s 2006

golf tournament. Pictured with cup namesake Homer Burkett (center) are CobbAndrews, Hunter Smith, Chad Webb and Jamie Hart.

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of current Chancellor Robert Khayat, whowas vice chancellor for university affairs atthe time.

“They announced an endowed chairhonoring Gene Peery, and we were suc-cessful in raising $1 million,” Davis said.“This was one of the earlier chairs to befunded at the university, and Peer y wasable to occupy the chair himself.”

Upon Peery’s death in 1993, Davis andothers in the school suppor ted anothereffort to raise funds for a scholarship in theprofessor’s name.

“This school is a product of many out-standing professors over time but nonemore so than Gene Peery,” Davis said.

The Peery Scholarship had been seed-

ed several years before with an anonymous$10,000 gift, then memorials poured in fol-lowing his death. The university laterannounced that the seed gift had comefrom the W.B. Ridgway family of Jackson.

Over the last decade, the school hascontinued to build on its strong foundation,entering the 21st century competitive withsome of the best accountancy programs inthe country. Of great significance was a$16.5 million gift to the university from theReynolds Foundation in 1997 honoring itslongtime employee E.H. Patterson, a 1955

accountancy graduate. At the time, it wasthe largest single gift ever to the university.The university used $3 million of that dona-tion to help fund the renovation of ConnerHall and the accountancy school wasnamed in Patterson’s honor in 1999.

The Reynolds gift toward completionof the building’s renovation was part of a$23 million construction and renovationproject for accountancy and businessadministration. The project is also a testa-ment to faithful alumni of the school, saidDavis, who ser ved as dean from 1993 to2002.

“Our profession rose to meet the occa-sion, and it shows the tremendous respectour alumni have for this school,” Davis

said. “Every room has a nameplate, andevery nameplate has the name of a spon-soring donor.”

Described as a “technology wonder-land,” the facility provides an Internet con-nection to every seat in every accountancyclassroom. One classroom has an advancedsystem that allows professors not only toteach through the computer, but also tomonitor students’ work and help individual-ly when necessary.

The Reynolds gift also provided $3 mil-lion for a faculty-suppor t endowment

intended to “reinvigorate our knowledgebase,” as described in the agreementbetween the UM Foundation and theschool.

For research on its home tur f, theaccountancy faculty can turn to the largestand most prestigious accounting library inthe world — that of the American Instituteof Cer tified Public Accountants. Theunique collection of more than 125,000items arrived at Ole Miss in 2001 (see relat-ed story on Page 8).

At the library’s dedication, Jay Roth-burg, AICPA vice president, said, “The Uni-versity of Mississippi is one of the nation’smost well-respected names in accountancyeducation. We at AICPA are pleased thatour collection will reside with an institutionthat has contributed so much to excellencein the profession.”

Davis, who has been a firsthand wit-ness to the growth and maturation of thePatterson School of Accountancy, summedup the school’s history and its promise forthe future.

“As evidenced by the past 30 years, weknow we can count on our accountancyalumni and our profession to continue theirsuppor t for the Patterson School ofAccountancy. We are accredited, we havethe national library, we have a state-of-the-art facility, we consistently attract some ofthe country’s brightest students, and wetake pride in a dynamic faculty. But the bestis yet to come, and Dean Morris Stocks isthe right leader to take us to the nextlevel.”

15

‘All of these achievements could not have beenaccomplished without the generous support of

our alumni and friends.’—DEAN MORRIS STOCKS

Thanks to generous gifts from alumni and friends, the Patterson School providesan Internet connection to every seat in every accountancy classroom.Investment, continued from Page 3

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Patterson School of AccountancyP.O. Box 1848University, MS 38677

3110C/7-06

Non-profit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 6

University, MS

Dean Morris Stocks (center) had the opportunity to meet with representatives from Horne CPA during arecent trip to Jackson, Miss. From left: Ron Applewhite, Tara May, Kirk Hines, Patrick Gough, DeanStocks, Terry Traylor, James Gordon, Robert Alexander and Norman Moore.