Advisory Board

Purpose

The purpose of the School of Accountancy Advisory Board is to offer a practice and industry perspective on issues of importance to the School, its faculty and students. Its perspective is intended to inform the decision-making process of the faculty. Examples of issues on which advice may be requested include:

• Student recruitment and retention initiatives
• Review of standards for student admission and/or continuance in the School
• Curriculum development
• Internship programs
• Alumni award nominations
• Planning, development and assessment activities

It is important to note that the Advisory Board is not an official component of the governance structure of the School of Accountancy. It is not a Board of Directors responsible for overseeing the performance of the School and its management. For example, the Advisory Board does not vote on management decisions, personnel issues, budgets, etc., and the members of the Advisory Board do not owe any fiduciary duty to any other party. Rather, the Board exists to provide informal feedback to the School and to promote the visibility and reputation of the School. All decisions regarding the School are the sole responsibility of the Dean of the College, the Director, and the faculty of the School of Accountancy.

Membership

Members should be leaders in industry and/or the practice of accounting. A diversity of representation will be sought to obtain the benefit of multiple perspectives.

• Selection: Members will be chosen by the Director of the School of Accountancy with the advice of the faculty and the current Advisory Board.
• Size: The Board will be limited to twelve to fifteen members to encourage active participation.
• Term: Members will be appointed for a three-year term and may be re-appointment for an additional 3-year term. After completion of a second consecutive term or if a member resigns from the Board, he/she is ineligible to serve on the Board again for one year. Should a member resign prior to the completion of his or her term, a new member will be selected through the stated selection process.

Given the purpose of the Advisory Board, faculty and students will not be members of the Board. While faculty may be invited to participate in the Board meetings, the Director of the School will serve as the faculty’s liaison to the Board. In addition, the Director may invite one undergraduate accounting major and one MPA student to participate in the Board meetings.

Officers

The Advisory Board will elect Co-Chairs and an ex-officio Secretary. One Co-Chair will be someone working in public accounting and one will be working outside of public accounting. The Co-Chairs will serve staggered two-year terms. The ex-officio Secretary will be an administrative assistant from the School of Accountancy office.

Co-Chairs

The Co-Chairs may preside at Board meetings. If the Co-Chairs choose not to preside at meetings the Director of the School of Accountancy will preside. The Co-Chairs may meet with the Director outside of meetings of the full Board to discuss School business and set agenda items for future Board meetings.

Secratary

The Secretary is responsible to maintain minutes of all meetings and shall have charge of all papers, keep such records, make such reports and perform such duties as are incidental to that office and properly required by the Board. A copy of all records and reports will be filed at the School of Accountancy office.

Organization

The Director of the School is responsible for organizing all meetings of the Advisory Board with input from the Co-Chairs. Included in the Director’s responsibilities are establishing the agenda and providing materials to the Advisory Board members. Following each meeting, the Director shall report the advice of the Advisory Board and distribute minutes of the meeting to the faculty.

Participation

The Advisory Board will meet at least twice a year, usually once in the fall and once in the spring. Other meetings may be called as needed by the Director or either Co-Chair.

Advisory Board Members