What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I love seeing my students start their education without any idea about the accounting profession. It is very rewarding to see them progress through their courses and graduate with some of the best accounting jobs in the nation.

It brings me joy to know that the Biola students are well trained in accounting and their knowledge of the Bible so they can bring light into a dark world that so desperately needs it.

The Crowell School of Business now offers a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc) degree. Tell us about that.

A few years ago the state of California has mandated 150 hours of college education in order to obtain a CPA license. We felt the natural choice for Biola was to offer a graduate degree in accounting. This allows the students to satisfy their education requirements and earn a master’s degree. What we found is that many of our students are graduating with an undergraduate degree in three and a half years and then entering a one year master’s program.

We also have a path for those who are looking for a career change into the accounting profession. They can earn enough accounting credits to meet the CPA requirements through our MPAcc program.

Today the use of technology has impacted the workplace. The use of data analytics by accountants is a very big issue. We have recently added an analytics class to our MPAcc program. The profession is discussing use of artificial intelligence to assist today’s accountant.