The American Accounting Association/J. Michael and Mary Anne Cook/Deloitte Foundation Prize is the foremost recognition of an individual who consistently demonstrates the attributes of a superior teacher in the discipline of accounting. The Prize will serve to recognize, inspire and motivate members to achieve the status of a superior teacher.

Each year up to three prizes can be made in the categories of graduate, undergraduate, and two-year accounting degree programs. The prize consists of an inflation adjusted cash award, a medallion, and a certificate awarded at a ceremony at the AAA Annual Meeting. The cash award for 2020 will be $27,500.

                      Presenter Mary Stone with award recipients William E. McCarthy, Margarita Maria Lenk, and Jill Mitchell, and Kathy Shoztic (Deloitte Foundation)


Two-Year College
Jill Mitchell, Northern Virginia Community College
“My teaching philosophy is based on three core values—opportunity, professionalism, and honor. Using these values as guiding principles, I work tirelessly to be a compassionate and energetic role model for my students to excite them about careers in accounting, and to serve as a mentor to whom they can always return for advice no matter where they are in their professional journeys.

As a community college professor, I am a catalyst for transformative learning experiences for my diverse students, as I strive to teach beyond the outcomes. I hope to play a small part in my students’ educational and personal development by creatively providing them with opportunities to become independent learners, and successful and honorable professionals.” 

Undergraduate
Margarita Maria Lenk, Colorado State University
“My goal is to equip my students with the professional accounting knowledge, technical currency, critical thinking habits, multiple stakeholder perspectives, and respectful, inclusive communication and teamwork skills so that they have the confidence, enjoyment, and satisfaction in their successful career journey to add value in an ever changing and challenging financial world. 

My instructional brand is to mentor students in how to invest in their own life-long habits of developing into the whole person of their aspirations. My courses integrate accounting and business world knowledge with the economic, philosophical, and ethical reasons why accounting professionals provide important value to society, organizations, capital markets, and communities.”

Graduate
William E. McCarthy, Michigan State University
“I am an accounting systems professor, determined to combine the conceptual ideas of accounting from the business school with hard core technology ideas from the computer science disciplines of database theory, artificial intelligence, and object-oriented programming.  My teaching philosophy is anchored on three basic points of emphasis:

1. Demand high performance from students.
2. Be enthusiastic and energetic almost beyond normal capabilities about the future of accounting information systems.  I want all of my students to be champions for technological change in their firms, companies, and individual entrepreneurial endeavors.
3. Convince students that I am maximally interested in supporting their learning activities with empathy, extra time, and directed TA assistance, so they do not waver in their dedicated efforts.”

              
Carolyn B. Hughes - Two Year College  |  Marsha M. Huber - Undergraduate |  Robert D. Allen - Graduate 

Two-Year College
Carolyn B. Hughes, Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College
“To me, being a bridge for my students means that I help them along a path that connects them to a demanding but promising career…to help them understand how business and accounting works.”;

“Preparing this bridge requires a commitment on my part to carefully prepare, set clear, measurable goals and empathize with a diverse group of people from assorted backgrounds. This requires that I respect my students, care about their futures, and encourage them to believe in their abilities.”

“As I consider the positive influence outstanding teachers have had in my life, I recognize the responsibility and privilege of being an educator.  I work hard to make a positive difference in the life of each student. ”

“Some of the most satisfying experiences I have had as an educator have been to help students beyond their expectations….I love the challenge of helping students see the potential that resides within them.”

Award Winners for 2017

                            Cathy Scott, Two-Year College         Susan M. Curtis, Undergraduate          Edmund Outslay, Graduate
      (pictured with Convener Nancy Bagranoff)

Two-Year College
Cathy J. Scott, Navarro College
“My teaching philosophy involves providing students with a stimulating course that challenges and supports their long-term career and educational goals. Community college students come from various backgrounds, diverse age groups, vast experience levels and varying educational objectives. Therefore, I believe it is important to relate accounting concepts through real-world, practical applications that engage this diverse population.” 

“My ultimate goal is for all students, regardless of major, to understand and respect the impact accounting has in their day-to-day lives and future careers.”

Undergraduate
Susan M. Curtis, University of Illinois
“Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am constantly thinking and talking (Sometimes writing) about teaching. And, I encourage others to talk about teaching. Because, just as stories help my students learn about accounting, sharing TEACHING STORIES helps us learn about teaching.” What students say: “You make accounting exciting and fresh and interesting. You open student’s eyes to a world of accounting and opportunities that they never knew existed. Said another way, you set their souls on fire.” 

Graduate
Edmund Outslay, Michigan State University
“When I prepare for class, I think first of the context for why this topic is important and less about the technical details that will be obsolete in a short time. My first objective is to stimulate their intellectual curiosity about the topic. I teach much the way I plan a trip (my family will tell you I am directionally challenged). I start with the destination and work backwards as to how to get there. I often try to use storytelling and analogies to illustrate concepts…My most enjoyable moments are the hours I spend preparing for class, thinking about how to prepare my students for the next journey on which we embark.”

Award Winners for 2016

                                     Billie M. Cunningham, Undergraduate       Markus Ahrens, Two-Year College         G. Peter Wilson, Graduate

Two-Year College
Markus Ahrens, St. Louis Community College
“I strive to provide an active engaging learning environment for my students.  Teamwork and group activities are an integral part of my teaching philosophy…My goal is to develop my students into independent life-long learners.  The flipped classroom techniques that I incorporate into my classroom, as well as, the utilization of technology to engage students, results in my ability to meet my student’s learning needs…My teaching techniques are ever evolving and will continue to be tailored to create an engaging and effective learning environment tied closely to the Pathway’s Vision Model.”

“ My ultimate goal is to focus on student learning and engagement, resulting in my students developing a skillset that will help make them successful in the classroom and workplace.”

Undergraduate
Billie M. Cunningham, University of Missouri
“I love people!  If through my teaching, I can make a small contribution to even one person’s success in life, the world will be a better place for that person, and perhaps for some of the people that person encounters…how I [will apply] this philosophy to my teaching practice will continue to evolve with each unique class of students, and as I learn more about teaching and learning.  Additionally, the domain of my teaching has grown from helping my students to also helping my fellow educators and contributing to our profession.”

“You are my favorite professor of all time. You brought your passion for teaching into every class, and it truly enhanced my experience.  I hope to get my PhD and teach someday, and you are a professor I can only hope to emulate.  Thanks for always caring.”  …A student

GraduateG. Peter Wilson, Boston College
“I aim to help students and others: (i) develop robust conceptual frameworks and apply them throughout their careers to navigate complexity and uncertainty; (ii) build relationship skills that promote effective and rewarding interactions with others; and (iii) gain a passion for life-long learning and strategies to learn on their own.…Students [can be viewed] as an orchestra and ourselves as caring composers and conductors.  Working together we make great music.  Moreover, this mindset helps them become highly effective managers in a knowledge economy.”

“I wouldn’t give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I’d give my life for simplicity on the far side of complexity.” ….Oliver Wendell Holmes

Award Winners for 2015

Joe Hoyle, Undergraduate	Tracie Miller-Nobles, Two-Year College	Mark Nelson, Graduate

Undergraduate
Joe Hoyle, University of Richmond
"I divide my teaching into three distinct categories. First, I have an obligation to be the best teacher I can be for each student who enters my class…Second, I extend my teaching to as many students and accountants around the world…Third, I assist other teachers in their quest to become more successful…I stress the importance of making a 5% improvement each year…If every teacher improves at a 5% annual rate, the quality of teaching around our world will increase quickly and dramatically."

"He is active in the classroom, consistently bringing people into the learning experience. There’s really never a day that he isn’t upbeat and excited to be in the classroom. There’s a lot that can be learned from him." …A student

Two-Year College
Tracie Miller-Nobles, Austin Community College
"I believe an outstanding teacher can best be described by the image of a triangle with a circle around it. The base represents knowledge and accounting pedagogy. One side represents communication and interaction with students-instructional innovation, student motivation, and the pursuit of learning opportunities for students. The other side balances the educator’s role and responsibilities to the larger profession and demonstrates to our students the value of belonging to the community of accountants. The circle surrounding the triangle is my classroom, with no one participant (educator or student) sitting in the center of the circle."

Graduate
Mark W. Nelson, Cornell University
"My teaching metaphor is that I’m a personal trainer. My students hire me because of my expertise, so they aren’t in charge. Rather, they need to follow my program of somewhat painful exercises in order to get stronger and achieve their objectives. Yes, they will sweat and often be sore the next day, but it will all be worth it in the end, and I will make it as fun as possible along the way."

"Faculty can be effective teachers while also being effective at other important dimensions of their jobs, including maintaining an active research agenda and providing service to their school, the profession, and the AAA."

1. A Convener, a Representative of the Donor, and the members of the Selector panel are appointed each year by the Management Team of the AAA.
2. A team of Nominators are chosen by the Selector panel from AAA Segment leader recommendations or appointed at-large to assure sufficient breadth and diversity of the nominee pool.
3. Nominators are asked to nominate up to three nominees.
4. Based upon the nominator nominations, Nominees are invited to apply for the award. 
5. The Selection panel determines a prize winner for each category or at its discretion may chose not to make an award for a category in any one year.

2019-2020 Convener:
Mary Stone, The University of Alabama and Past President of AAA 

2019-2020 Selector Committee: 
Anne Christensen, Montana State University
Billie Cunningham, University of Missouri
Tracie Miller-Nobles, Austin Community College 
Karen Pincus, University of Arkansas
Sandra RIchtermeyer, University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Kristy Towry, Emory University
Darrel Walden, University of Richmond
Andy Williams, Edmonds Community College

Ex-officio Members:
Tracey Sutherland, American Accounting Association
Gary Previts, Case Western Reserve University
Kathy Shoztic, Deloitte Foundation

The AAA/J. Michael and Mary Anne Cook/Deloitte Foundation Prize is to honor current active faculty and is not for lifetime achievement or for retired or deceased faculty members.

Nominees must teach in a program designed to prepare students for careers in accounting, as broadly defined in the Report of the Pathways Commission. Hence, although outstanding teachers, individuals who only teach in MBA programs without accounting tracks or focus on working with Ph.D. students would not be eligible for nomination. 

Nominees must be a current full-time faculty member in an accounting program or school with established record of at least ten years of teaching.

Nominees must be a member in good standing of the American Accounting Association who is not currently serving on the Board of Directors.

If selected for the award, the Prize winners must agree to attend AAA Annual Meeting Award presentation in August.

If selected for the award, the Prize winners must agree to share their knowledge and approaches at various AAA venues and events, as available.

Nominees can only be nominated by the AAA/J. Michael and Mary Anne Cook/Deloitte Foundation Prize Nominators. 

1. A nominee must demonstrate a track record of significant achievement over at least ten years of teaching in higher education, and the promise for future contributions to the accounting education community—through their thought leadership in teaching and accounting education. 
2. First and foremost, nominees must have exhibited consistent excellence in the delivery of accounting education.  Teaching excellence may have occurred in the traditional classroom, in an online environment, or in other learning environments.  Such excellence may be evidenced by student evaluations, peer reviews, materials developed for classroom use, or other evidence of excellence in direct teaching. 
3. Not only must nominees be passionate, inspirational, innovative, and demand high standards in the classroom but the effects of their impact and generosity must also extend beyond the classroom as evidenced by their mentorship of others, their freely sharing of print-based or other media-based materials, and/or their willingness to take risks in their career to advance their and others’ excellence as a teacher.