Dear alumni, recruiters, supporters, students, faculty and staff, 

As we embark on a new academic semester, I’d like to take the opportunity to introduce myself as the new department chair. But first, let me congratulate my predecessor, Dr. Elizabeth Gordon, who received a well-deserved promotion, and is now Senior Associate Dean for the Fox School of Business. Congratulations to Betsy!   

A little about me. I have been at Temple as a full-time faculty member since receiving my Ph.D. at CUNY-Baruch in 1991. Though I have been an active researcher, my passion is student engagement. Some highlights include: 

• Chaired 10 doctoral dissertations. 
• Serve as advisor to Beta Alpha Psi and the Accounting Professional Society for a combined 20 years. 
• Head and oversee student training and tax preparation for Temple’s award-winning Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program continuously since 2008, with locations on Temple’s Main and Ambler campuses.  

But enough about me. Since our last edition of Footnotes from Fox, there have been many departmental and individual achievements that you will read about in this newsletter, most notably that the Fox School Department of Accounting has received accreditation from the AACSB. We are one of only 195 accredited accounting departments worldwide.   

As we enter the spring semester, we look forward to a series of upcoming events including:  

• Department’s first ever badminton tournament scheduled on Feb. 4 
• Visit from Jennifer Cryder, president of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) on Feb. 12 
• National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) 3rd Annual Student Symposium on Feb. 23 
• Visit from, Ismael “Izzy” Nevarez Jr., CFE, Fraud Prevention Team - Regional Manager, Global Risk & Security Division, The Vanguard Group on March 29 
• Annual Student Professional Organization (SPO) banquet on April 24 (by invitation only) 
• Visit from Ricardo Michel, co-CEO of Paladium on April 29 
• Accounting Achievement Awards on April 30 

As alumni, recruiters, supporters, students, faculty and staff, except as noted above, you are welcome to attend any and all of the above. For more details, reach out to Vanessa Couvertier.  

Much of our department’s success is attributable to the support we receive from our generous alumni which includes coming to campus to speak to our six student professional organizations, the Young Accounting Alumni Group who pay it back by mentoring our current students, and of course, financial support that allows us to provide assistance to students who otherwise could not afford to pursue their passion. This academic year, the Department of Accounting awarded 259 scholarships totaling almost $300,000. For all of this, thank you! 

Sincerely, 

Steven Balsam 

Professor and Senior Merves Research Fellow 
Chair, Department of Accounting