I’ve had many more published since then. For the year I was on the faculty at UNO, I taught cost accounting for the first time in my career and really enjoyed it! I taught financial accounting when I changed universities but switched to managerial accounting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in 1984.
While I had three stints in public and corporate accounting—one was an internship and two were faculty residencies—these experiences solidified my desire to be an academic. They were great but made me realize the extreme demands on a person’s time. Academia provided a much more enjoyable experience in working with students and offered a greater level of flexibility in time management. And it was fulfilling to help students gain interest in and passion for the accounting profession.
Professional service to IMA and similar organizations is another reason I loved education. Not as many faculty members were dedicated to these professional organizations as those from industry and public accounting—and that made those of us from academia stand out. In 1983 when I joined the faculty of John Carroll University, I didn’t realize the school concentrated so much on public accounting. But JCU was also a testing site for the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) exam, and I became the administrator of the exam there as part of my job. It put me in contact with ICMA® (Institute of Certified Management Accountants), and I ended up writing questions for the exam. Then I was asked to come to Montvale, N.J., and help grade the exam twice a year until the exam was computer-based.
Why did I choose to teach management accounting and serve IMA in a variety of roles? At UNO, I taught managerial accounting for the first time and enjoyed the experience. When I was chair of the accounting department at JCU, we were overstaffed with financial accounting faculty, so I resumed teaching managerial accounting and found the joy still existed. To provide guidance for management accountants, IMA’s Management Accounting Practices (MAP) Committee issued Statements on Management Accounting.
In June 1983, the MAP Committee issued Statement on Management Accounting 1C, Standards of Ethical Conduct for Management Accountants. Later it was changed to the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice. I really liked SMA 1C and included it in my managerial accounting classes. My cost accounting classes, graduate managerial accounting classes, and seminar in controllership classes had copies of the SMA and were expected to know it and conduct themselves according to it. Later I served on the IMA Committee on Ethics for nine years, which was a pleasure. I also am on the editorial advisory board of Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly.
I encourage all members to consider the many service opportunities IMA provides. Regardless of the career area you’ve chosen, IMA will have something you’ll find valuable.
July 2019
