UA Professor Named in Top Accounting List

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Karen V. Pincus, chair of the department of accounting at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, has been named by Accounting Today magazine as one of the 2006 Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.

“We are very excited about this honor that has been bestowed upon Dr. Pincus,” said Walton College Dean Dan Worrell. “She has been a national leader in accounting education. Today there is a high demand for accounting graduates, and she has been instrumental in developing and implementing a new curriculum approach to help meet this demand.”

The Accounting Today article, titled “Visionaries - the leaders who shape the profession and their plans for tomorrow,” highlights professionals who have not only made a difference, but also are on the cutting-edge of the year’s the hot-button issues. The magazine is the premier news vehicle for the tax and accounting community. The publication helps accounting professionals keep abreast of current events in the accounting profession.

In May 2006, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AIPCA) awarded Pincus the 2006 Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award. At that time, Leslie Murphy, AICPA chair, said, “The future of our profession is built on the quality and the number of the young people who join us. That, in turn, depends on whether quality people decide to study accounting and how well they are trained in their collegiate and post-collegiate education. The institute annually selects a member of the academic community who best serves these truths to receive the award.”

In addition to her role as a department chair in the Walton College, a position she has held since 1995, Pincus holds the S. Robson Walton Chair of Accounting. Prior to the University of Arkansas, she taught at the University of Southern California and the University of Maryland.

Pincus has received numerous recognitions for teaching excellence, curriculum development and service to the accounting academic and practicing professions. Most notably, she received the American Accounting Association Innovation in Accounting Education Award for designing and implementing a totally new curricular approach to accounting education.

Pincus has served the AICPA in many capacities. She is currently a member of the AICPA’s Nominations Committee. She is a past chair of the Pre-certification Education Executive Committee and was a member of the Accounting Careers Subcommittee. She currently serves on the Virtual Grassroots Panel. From 2002 to 2005, she was an elected member-at-large of the AICPA governing Council.

In addition, Pincus is past president of Beta Alpha Psi, the student professional accounting association. She was president of both the Federation of Schools of Accountancy, the association of accredited graduate accounting programs, and vice president of the American Accounting Association. She also served on many committees of these organizations. She is the author of numerous professional articles and research papers.

Pincus received her bachelor’s degree, Master of Business Administration and doctorate from the University of Maryland.