New Center to support the University's top-ranked accounting program and reinforce connections between the classroom and the accounting profession
Belmont University's Jack C. Massey College of Business held a banquet April 23 to announce the launch of the Accounting Center for Excellence (ACE) — the newest addition to four Centers that provide programming, resources and scholarship to support concentrations in free enterprise, global citizenship, business ethics, entrepreneurship and now, accounting.
ACE will provide enhanced educational experiences to prepare students for successful careers in accounting. Establishing ACE continues to showcase the College’s emphasis on building bridges and reinforcing connections between the classroom and industry.
“After 25 years of leadership in business schools, I can tell you that the accounting profession steps up,” said Massey College of Business Dean Dr. Sarah Gardial. “The accounting profession understands that we are all going to do better if industry and higher education work in partnership to create the leadership pipeline. There is no question that this will be successful for us all and especially for our students.”
A disparity between the talent pipeline and the demand for industry professionals has created a significant gap. Wall Street Journal reported more than 300,000 accountants and auditors have left their jobs in the past two years, a 17% workforce decline. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants reported that completion of bachelor's in accounting degrees dropped 7.8% between the 2021 and 2022 academic years.
Initiatives of the new Center will offer an added level of support for Belmont’s undergraduate and graduate accounting programs, which received recognition in 2023 as a top 50 accounting program in the nation.
ACE’s vision is to become a leading accounting program for attracting and developing accounting talent from diverse backgrounds to become contributing members of the accounting profession. The Center will use this vision as a blueprint during its three-year launch period, working to develop branding, garner sponsorship and build a secure foundation to support the mission.
Professor of accounting Dr. Marilyn Young will serve as the faculty director of ACE. Since joining Belmont in 2001, Young has received numerous awards recognizing her as an outstanding educator. These accolades include the Most Inspirational Professor Award for the Massey College of Business Masters of Accountancy Program and the Belmont University Chaney Distinguished Professor Award. Young is also a member of the Board of Directors of the TSCPA, the Board of Directors of the TSCPA Educational and Memorial Foundation, the Nashville Chapter Board of the TSCPA and the AICPA IRS Advocacy and Relations Committee.
Dr. Jan Williams, who became affiliated with Belmont while serving as interim dean of the Jack C. Massey College of Business (2019-2020), will be the Center’s executive director. Numerous accomplishments and recognitions contribute to Williams’ leadership legacy in the accounting profession. He received the American Accounting Association’s (AAA) highest accolade for an accounting educator, the Outstanding Accounting Educator Award in 2018 and, in 2023, AAA’s Lifetime Service Award for his contributions to accounting education as dean and professor emeritus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business. In 2021, UT Haslam College of Business created the Jan R. Williams Endowed Chair in Accounting Excellence in his honor.
“No one university is going to solve the pipeline problem,” Williams said. “But we believe that Belmont can do two things to address it. First, we can increase the supply of highly qualified career-ready accounting graduates entering the Nashville business community. Second, we can serve as a model of how one university with an organized and aggressive effort can make a difference.”
Williams identified five focus areas where ACE can enhance the career preparation of accounting students:
- Student outreach and development
- Connections with professionals
- Curriculum refinement
- External partnerships
- Partnerships within Belmont
The accounting program welcomed three special guests to campus for the launch of the new Center: Wendy Garvin, executive director of the Tennessee Board of Accountancy; Kara Fitzgerald, president of the Tennessee Society of CPAs (TSCPA) and Jonathan Bailey, chair of the Board of Directors of the TSCPA.
Prior to the banquet, Williams and Bailey — who held leadership roles in Beta Alpha Psi as former National President of Beta Alpha Psi and University of Tennessee Knoxville's Beta Alpha Psi Chapter President, respectively — inducted new members into Belmont’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi honors society.
Along with Belmont’s students, faculty and staff, representatives from industry partners attended the launch including EY, UHY, BDO, Blankenship CPA Group, FORVIS, Mullins Clemmons & Mayes, PWC, Frazier & Deeter, the Institute of Internal Auditors, and HCA Healthcare.
“As rapidly as the accounting profession is changing, ACE will help the accounting program be receptive and responsive to those changes,” Williams said. “Our vision for what students studying accounting at Belmont is to prepare, grow, connect, serve and lead. This work is already being done, but we want to continue to emphasize these skillsets.”
The evening included the inaugural ACE Distinguished Service Awards presented to two student groups: the officers of the Beta Alpha Psi honor society and student participants in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program within Belmont’s Family Wellbeing Program.