The American Institute of CPAs Foundation has awarded its first William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarships to five CPAs pursuing doctorates in accounting.
The William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship program provides a one-time award of $10,000 to top accounting Ph.D. candidates who demonstrate "significant potential to become mentors for the next generation of CPAs." The scholarship honors the late Bill Ezzell, a former chairman of the AICPA board of directors, and his passion for both the CPA profession and his belief that CPAs should be taught by educators with recent, real-world experience.
“Bill knew how important it is for accounting students to have a CPA in front of them in the classroom," stated Ernie Almonte, president of the AICPA Foundation. "Educators who have worked as CPAs are able to share their practical experience. These five students represent some of the best and brightest future accounting educators, and we are thrilled to help them as they strive to bring up the next generation of accounting professionals."
Recipients of the 2019 William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship include:
- Kathryn Holmstrom, accounting, Georgia Institute of Technology;
- Alex Johanns, audit, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
- Cassie Mongold, accounting, University of Texas at Austin;
- Vernan Rivera, tax and financial reporting, University of Connecticut; and
- Andrea Tillet, audit, Florida State University.
The scholarship is available to CPAs in the United States who have 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.
For more information on the William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship, head to the AICPA's
