Deloitte Foundation Donates $100,000 to AICPA Foundation

The Deloitte Foundation has donated $100,000 to the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Foundation in support of its efforts to help CPAs become college professors.

The funding is earmarked for the AICPA Foundation’s William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship program, which annually provides a one-time award of $10,000 to five outstanding accounting Ph.D. candidates who demonstrate significant potential to become mentors for the next generation of CPAs.

“Bill believed that having CPAs in the classroom was the best way to prepare the next generation on the demands of the accounting profession,” said Ernie Almonte, CPA, CGMA, AICPA Foundation president. “We greatly appreciate this donation from the Deloitte Foundation. This funding will go a long way towards continuing Bill’s legacy of working to fill the ranks of accounting educators with skilled CPAs who understand the current and future demands of the profession.”

The scholarship honors the late Ezzell’s passion for the profession and recognizes his belief that the best way to encourage the next generation of CPAs was to put educators in the classroom with relevant and recent real-world experience. New technology is accelerating the evolution of the profession and recently practicing CPAs can assure students have the skills they need to succeed in today’s firms and businesses.

Ezzell worked at Deloitte from 1986 until his retirement in 2012. He was a former chairman of the AICPA Board of Directors, past president of its Foundation Board and recipient of the AICPA’s 2009 Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service and Outstanding Service Award. He spearheaded the creation of the AICPA’s Accounting Doctoral Scholars (ADS) program, helping raise $17 million for scholarships for students earning Ph.Ds. in accounting and tax.

The AICPA’s Bill Ezzell Scholarship is available to CPAs in the United States with at least three years of professional accounting experience and an undergraduate or master’s degree in accounting. Applicants must also intend to teach or conduct research at an accredited university following the completion of their Ph.D. program.

“The Deloitte Foundation is proud to honor Bill’s memory with this grant aimed at strengthening the pipeline of accounting educators,” said Kathy Shoztic, Deloitte Foundation executive director. “Our mission to help develop future talent through education initiatives that connect students and faculty to the profession aligns closely with Bill’s passion to link practice to education and ultimately prepare the next generation of CPAs for success.”