Department and Program News

In the college as in the economy, the gains continue. Student enrollments are up. Faculty are achieving new distinctions. And there are more academic options than ever before.

Department of Accountancy

Accountancy Hall of Fame — Illinois Members Year Inducted Art Wyatt, Retired Partner, Arthur Andersen; Adjunct Professor ('49, '53, '59) 1998 Charles Bowsher, Comptroller General of the United States ('53) 1996 Norton Bedford, Professor Emeritus 1988 Robert K. Mautz, Partner, Ernst & Whinney; Professor ('38, '42) 1978 John W. Queenan (dec.), Managing Partner, Haskins & Sells ('27) 1976 Paul F. Grady (dec.), Partner, Technical Accounting Policies of the United States ('23) 1964 Andrew Barr (dec.), Chief Accountant, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ('23, '24, Honorary '90) 1963 Lloyd Morey (dec.), Professor; President, UIUC; Auditor of Public Accounts, State of Illinois 1963 A.C. Littleton (dec.), Professor ('12, '18, '31, Honorary '67) 1956 Hiram T. Scovill (dec.), Professor; Acting Dean; Head, Department of Business Organization & Operation ('08) 1954

ART WYATT, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR OF ACCOUNTANCY, HAS GARNERED ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL HONOR. This fall he was inducted into the Accountancy Hall of Fame, one of the most prestigious honors bestowed by the profession. Housed at Ohio State University, election is made by a group of fifty people who occupy leadership roles in government and accounting. Wyatt, the sixty-second inductee, joins several other University of Illinois faculty and alumni. Wyatt, who holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in accountancy from UIUC, served on the Commerce faculty from 1950 to 1965, then went on to international success in the private sector as a partner and managing director for accounting principles at Arthur Andersen. A highly regarded elder statesman, he was a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board from 1985-87 and the United States  representative on the International Accounting Standards Committee from 1988-93. He chaired the committee from 1990-93. After retiring from Andersen in 1993, Wyatt returned to his first love, teaching. At the college, he offers a course in financial reporting issues each fall. He also takes pride and pleasure in advising seniors on the challenges of the interviewing cycle, and has been instrumental in the development of Project Discovery. HELD OCTOBER 22-24, 1998, ON THE U OF I CAMPUS, THE THIRTEENTH SYMPOSIUM ON AUDITING RESEARCH drew presenters and discussants from around the country. Every other fall (alternating with the U of I Tax Research Symposium), the event provides an influential forum for a range of cutting edge audit research papers, presented and discussed by esteemed scholars and faculty from across the U.S. "Our audit symposia are renowned for lively interchange," notes Ira Solomon, who co-chaired the conference with fellow faculty member Mark Peecher. "We specifically constrain the size of the meeting so there's lots of interaction between the presenters and the audience." Among the highlights of the gathering was the debut of the first case study sponsored by the KPMG/University of Illinois Business Measurement Case Development and Research Program. (The program was established in the 1997-98 academic year, with Solomon as U of I director.) Centering on an Alabama facility where Mercedes/Daimler Benz manufactures sport utility vehicles, the case study — the program's first to be shared with a public audience — offers an overview of "the strategic vision and business processes used to guide the financial statement audit," according to Solomon. The symposium, also sponsored by KPMG, thus made a fitting venue for launch of results from the program, which sponsored a total of eight case studies in 1998. (A call for proposals has gone out for a second round of case studies, to be funded in 1999. Submission deadline is February 12.) Keynote address for the symposium was a luncheon talk given by J. Terry Strange, vice-chairman, assurance and advisory services, KPMG Peat Marwick LLP. He spoke on the topic of how changes in technology are affecting the auditing and assurance environment. His provocative address challenged the academic community to get involved in ongoing changes in auditing, and help to shape the profession's future. Keynote speaker, J. Terry Strange, challenged the academic community to get involved in ongoing changes in auditing and to help shape the future of the profession.

Department of Business Administration

HONG KONG WAS THE DESTINATION IN JUNE FOR BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION HEAD KENT MONROE, who co-chaired a conference there. Hosted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Asian-Pacific Meeting of the Association for Consumer Research attracted 134 researchers from North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. "We had a separate dinner for Illinois alumni, who earned doctorates between 1968 and 1998," recalls Monroe. "There were about sixteen of us — presently faculty at Ohio State, the University of Minnesota, the National University of Singapore, the University of Hawaii, several universities in South Korea, and several in Taiwan. Included in this alumni group were a past editor of the Journal of Marketing Research and past and present editors of the Journal of Consumer Research."

Monroe, who is J.M Jones Distinguished Professor of Marketing, also recently published a volume titled The Pricing Strategy Audit: An In-Company Assessment to Help Create the Best Possible Pricing Strategy for Your Organization. Published by Cambridge Strategy Publications, the book is part of The Portfolio of Marketing Audits Series. Distributed world-wide, the series is aimed at the executive business market.

GROWTH IN THE UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN EXCEPTIONAL.   Program enrollment has increased by 30 percent since 1994. With the total number of undergraduates now at more than 800, three areas have experienced the greatest growth: management of information systems, which has grown a whopping 270 percent, to more than 160 students; marketing, where majors have surged by over 60 percent, passing the 400 mark; and industrial distribution management, where the 65 percent increase over the past four years brings enrollment to 95.

Department of Economics

WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDING, ONE MUST SOMETIMES CONSIDER THE DIFFERENCE between cash and currency. Larry Neal must, anyway. As director of the new European Union Center at UIUC, he's looking at a rather different kind of budget — one couched in the new money known as the euro or ECU (European Currency Unit). "I'm not exactly sure how much we're going to end up with," muses the economics prof. In rough translation, though,

Carol Hartman and Larry Neal Photo by UI News Bureau/Bill Wiegand

Neal has been awarded approximately $155,000 in funding for the first year of the center. Following an intense competition, Illinois was selected as one of ten such centers established in 1998 by the European Union — the eleven nations that have banded together in hopes of becoming a world economic powerhouse. Located at colleges and universities across the U.S., from Harvard to UCLA, this network has been created in the interest of researching and promoting pan-Atlantic trade. "We want to focus on specific policy issues — especially those that may be sources of potential conflict between the U.S. and Europe," says Neal. "And we want to draw on a talent pool from throughout the university." Plans for 1998-99 call for a round of interdisciplinary "seminars and graduate student research projects on non-tariff barriers to "trade. This is a topic of special interest to agricultural companies that want to export genetically modified organisms (GMOs), such as pest- and herbicide-resistant soy beans. As well as a lucrative commodity and "wellspring for the bumper crops of the American Midwest, GMOs are a focal point for agricultural research at UIUC. "There is a great deal of European resistance to the use of GMOs," points out Neal. "And, in general, non-tariff barriers to trade create issues that cut across barriers on a case-by-case basis." Work on this topic will culminate in a conference, to be held on the UIUC campus in the fall of 1999.

In anticipation of continued funding, Neal and Carol Hartman, coordinator of international projects, are planning a second round of seminars, research, and a conference in the fall of 2000 — on the effects of the European common currency on business, banks, and financial markets. As to the effects of the euro on Neal's own life, it's already considerable. Not only is he already budgeting in the currency — which will actually become current on January 1, 1999 —
in September, he discussed it with the Wall Street Journal. In an article about the euro versus the dollar, Neal noted to reporter Michael Sesit that "the euro isn't going to challenge the dollar as a reserve currency

COUNTERINTUITIVERLY TO ALL PREDICTIONS — AND FEARS — OF DECLINING ENROLLMENTS among the international student population, CBA's Master of Science in Policy Economics program is enjoying record enrollments for the fall of 1998. Eighty-eight students from around the world are currently pursuing the two-year MSPE course of study and fifty-three of those are in their first year. This means that overall enrollment is up by ten over 1997, and the number of first-year students has grown by fourteen — an increase of almost 36 percent. "Everyone was worried that this year we would be hit by the Asian financial crisis," says program director Firouz Gahvari. "So early on last year, I wrote a personal letter to each of our MSPE alumni encouraging them to introduce students to us. And a lot are still in fact coming from Southeast Asia." He cautions, however, that "We may in fact take a hit next year, should the Asian crisis lead to a decline in government-financed scholarships."

Enrollment of international students has grown in other graduate programs at CBA as well. Jane White, associate director of the Center for International Education and Research in Accounting (CIERA) notes that the number of students in the Master of Science in Accounting program has surged from forty-four in the fall of 1997 to fifty-four in the fall of '98, an increase of almost 23 percent. Enrollment in the Master of Science in Business Administration for International Managers has also increased and now stands at thirty-nine students. However, enrollment in the Master of Science in International Finance program has fallen, from forty-one students to thirty-two. "The decrease is related primarily to the economic situations in Indonesia, Korea, and Thailand," notes program director Roger Cannaday. He adds that the decrease was offset in part by increases in students from Taiwan and Latin America.

"We want to focus on specific policy issues — especially those that may be sources of potential conflict between the U.S. and Europe."

- Larry Neal, director, European Union Center

Kinkead Professor Invested "Without a doubt the quality of the university is marked by the quality of its faculty. Endowed chairs and professorships are critical to recruiting and retaining a world-class faculty. On our campus we have focused over a period of five or six years on a large effort in Campaign Illinois for securing endowments for chairs and professorships. We have over the past five years increased that number by sixty-seven to a total of one hundred and seventeen professorships . . . The availability of professorships creates an incredible energy level among the faculty to improve." — University Provost Richard Herman CONGRATULATIONS ARE DUE ALL AROUND.  AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF ACTIVE SEARCH, the William S. Kinkead Distinguished Professorship in Economics has been filled. In-Koo Cho, the chosen scholar, brings to the College of Commerce and Business Administration a highly esteemed background of teaching and research. "This honor signifies a level of distinction . . . a bar we seek to raise with each appointment we make," remarked University Provost Richard Herman (himself a newcomer to UIUC), in an address at Cho's investiture. "The Kinkead Chair stands as a shining example to donors of what we seek to achieve in this important area." Cho is a renowned game theorist who comes to Illinois from Brown University, where he had been a professor since 1995. From 1991 to 1995 he held the distinguished position of Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. He has received continuous grant support from the National Science Foundation since 1987. A native of Korea, Cho holds a B.A. in economics from Seoul National University, and a Ph.D. from Princeton. He has also served on the faculty of the University of Chicago. "Signaling Games and Stable Equilibria," his paper written with David M. Kreps, has received more than 250 citations. In-Koo Cho (right), with friend and colleague David Kreps. Kreps, who is Paul E. Holden Professor of Economics at Stanford, noted at the investiture that gifts from generous friends like the Kinkeads help universities attract outstanding scholars who set the standard in higher education — such as In-Koo Cho. He praised Cho's early work on signaling, bargaining, and behavior in complex situations. But Kreps reserved his highest accolades for his friend and colleague's current research on belief formation and adaptive behavior. Cho, said Kreps, "will be best known for this because of the tremendous importance of these ideas to the economy we live in." With his wife, Jeong E. Lee, and their five-year-old son Nicholas, Cho arrived on campus in midsummer 1998. In an interview held not long after he got here, he described his work as "the theory of interactions among rational agents." He gave the example of the recent air wave auction held by the FCC. Game theory can be applied in the real world to improve government policies and make them more efficient. The FCC auction is one dramatic example. "In such a case we would be trying to predict what will happen among the rational firms, with each trying to obtain a license at a minimum price." Asked how it felt to be at UIUC, he responded with one word: "Comfortable." "I like Champaign-Urbana," he continued. "I'm pretty happy. One reason I came here is the strong emphasis on research. The college has a strong infrastructure to support research activities, particularly its computer facilities and the support for grant applications from the Office of Research." Cho's formal investiture as William S. Kinkead Distinguished Professor of Economics took place in October 1998. First of its kind for the College of Commerce, the ceremony was held at the Kinkead Pavilion in the Krannert Art Museum, another beneficiary of Kinkead's generosity. In his remarks at the investiture, Richard Arnould, chair of economics, summed up the feelings of many who have gotten to know Cho since his arrival at CBA: "The process of attracting him to the department has been an incredibly pleasant one because he is an incredibly pleasant person."

Soon after the investiture, In-Koo Cho had an opportunity to share information about his research with members of the Business Advisory Council at their fall meeting.

THE WILLIAM S. KINKEAD DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIP IN ECONOMICS WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1982 by a gift from the William S. Kinkead Charitable Fund. A UIUC student during the 1919-20 academic year, which he later described as "one of happiness, if not the happiest of my life," William S. Kinkead left the Department of Mechanical Engineering to begin a career in industrial manufacturing. He founded Kinkead Industries, Inc., in 1928 and served as president and then chairman of the board until his retirement in 1977. Kinkead Industries is now a subsidiary of U.S. Gypsum Company. The Kinkead Professorship was established to honor an individual who "displays a commitment to the study and enhancement of an efficient market economy as reflected in topics such as, but not limited to, microeconomics, industry enterprise economics, the theoretical and applied role of innovation and technological change, economic growth, and market structure in the functioning of the American economic system." The William S. Kinkead Charitable Fund has also provided the University of Illinois with funds for the Kinkead Pavilion, scholarships for undergraduates in engineering, support for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics' Academic Counseling Center, fellowships for senior varsity football players based on academic performance, and research stipends for faculty and students in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"One reason I came here is the strong emphasis on research."

Department of Finance

WHEN STEVE D'ARCY TEACHES, HE'S TEACHING ALL OVER THE WORLD.  In the fall of 1997, he took his Financial Risk Management of Insurance Enterprises course (Finance 343) on line, to students in New York, Chicago, rural Kentucky, Switzerland, and the West Indies. "It's a new financial topic geared to financial actuaries," D'Arcy explains. "There's a tremendous demand for the material that's taught in this course, and the Internet provides a very effective way of presenting it." Among the on-line resources provided: lecture notes, assignments, and a chat space. Access to classes on-line, however, doesn't make them easier for students at remote sites. In fact, anecdotal evidence leads us in the opposite direction. "The rate of students who don't finish the course is higher for those off-campus," D'Arcy observes.

The Web site was begun for students on campus enrolled in the course, which D'Arcy has taught for four years. "Once that was in place, we were able to extend it to offer more information on-line," he explains. As to the future, D'Arcy says he's working on an audio component to the course, allowing on-line students to listen to his lectures. As to the value and challenge of the newly emerging concept of distance education, he says: "The ideal is doing both — teaching students on-campus and reaching out to interact with others off-campus. I like being able to reach students who find it impossible to come to campus. I enjoy creating new ways of getting information to these students."

Patrick J. Crowe, vice president-market research and actuary for the Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance Companies, has high praise for the course and the entire concept of Web-based learning. Via e-mail he writes, "The principles of finance are becoming more important to actuaries. We wanted to introduce our members, especially those who received their fellowship ten or more years ago, to these concepts via continuing education. I volunteered to take Steve's course to determine how it could be used for education for actuaries. It was a great course. The world has become much smaller. There is no reason why you cannot convey substantial course material over the Internet. It allows students to become familiar with experts in many fields in a very cost-effective manner."

MBA Program

MBA students team up to present their case for CyberProf — this year's topic at the Applying Business Perspectives (ABP) Seminar.

"But today, instead of Henry Ford as innovator, it's Bill Gates." - Mike Shaw, Professor of Business Administration

"INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IS REALLY FOLLOWING A PARALLEL PATH TO THE WORLD A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, when the automobile started to be developed. It's revolutionizing society," observes Mike Shaw, professor of business administration and advisor for CBA's high-tech course offerings. "But today, instead of Henry Ford as innovator, it's Bill Gates. Information technology is having a major impact on the way we do things, how organizations are run, the way companies work."

With that idea as background, the Illinois MBA is moving forward to provide "techno tracks" that meet the demand for graduates with the skills to tap the enormous potential of information technology.

"Our goal is to integrate the management of information technology and technology strategy into other Commerce disciplines, such as marketing," explains Shaw. The resources of the Beckman Institute and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), as well as other UIUC colleges, are being tapped for the MBA techno-track program, now known as PROMIST (Professional Track in Management Information Systems and Technology). "The college has recognized the demand in information systems and technology management areas," Shaw observes. "In addition to the MIS courses we are also adding courses in technology strategy, business-to-business marketing, and commercialization of technology."

Sub-tracks in information science now include:

• Information systems management
• Electronic commerce
• Technology management entrepreneurship and new venture creation

Students may also design their own sub-tracks, choosing courses offered through the College of Commerce, the College of Engineering, and several other units on campus.

IT'S OFFICIAL.  THERE IS A NEW ACCOUNTANCY TRACK IN THE MBA PROGRAM.  Approved in the summer of '98, the program drew an enrollment of twenty-five MBA students for the fall semester. Faculty coordinator for the new offering is Mike Sandretto, visiting associate professor of accountancy, who is shaping the track with a view to two career paths: treasurer and controller. "Those students in the treasurer specialization can take extra course work in finance, which has a very strong faculty," he points out. "Those interested in controllership may take extra course work in systems, which has been one of Illinois's major strengths for the past forty years."

Initial offerings include the first part of a two-course financial accounting sequence and a managerial accounting course, both taught by Sandretto. In the spring of '99, the MBA program will offer courses in auditing, taxation, and the second part of the financial accounting sequence. Says Sandretto: "All five courses are similar to ones taught in the accountancy master's program, but have been modified to meet the objectives of MBA students."

He notes: "The financial accounting sequence is primarily designed for students interested in careers in accounting or finance. Although it will help students prepare for either the CPA or CFA examinations, the objective is considerably broader than that." Course materials include a standard financial accounting text, Harvard Business School cases, and annual reports from companies in the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Finland, France, England, and Switzerland. "I think the latter is especially important because business is so global," Sandretto observes. "If students are exposed to a range of financial reports in their courses, they will be far more comfortable dealing with that information in their jobs. And since we have students from so many different countries in the MBA program, there is an added benefit. These students can explain some of the finer points about financial reporting in their country because they know far more about local requirements than I do."

Designed for students who plan to work in accounting, consulting, management, or marketing, the managerial accounting course deals mainly in cases, cost analysis, pricing, systems, and related topics.

FINANCIAL DERIVATIVES ARE EVERYWHERE," NOTES NEIL PEARSON. "It is crucial that our finance students be familiar with them."

To make sure that they are, Pearson, an award-winning associate professor of finance, has developed a new course in financial engineering (Finance 472). This second-year MBA course deals with identifying, measuring, and managing risk, as faced by corporations and institutional investors, especially as related to the application of forwards, futures, swaps, and other derivative instruments. The focus is on using various financial instruments to control an entity's exposure to financial risks, with class time split between theoretical models and practical applications. Pearson designed the course for MBA students and other graduate students in finance.

Serving the Public Good Kristen Lambert MBA students joining the state welfare system? Yes! Going boldly where few business students have gone before, a group of sixteen students from the Office for the Study of Business Issues (OSBI) went to work for the Springfield office of the Illinois Department of Public Aid in the spring of 1998. Under the direction of Kristen Lambert — who has gone on to become student director of OSBI — and team leader Don An, the group took a look at the workings of the state agency and came up with a full range of recommendations, covering practices in human resources, management information systems, finance, and operations. "They seemed to organize themselves and get a grasp on our agency very quickly," says Robert Lyons, administrator of the child support program for the Illinois Department of Public Aid (and a member of the LAS Class of '82). "Their presentations were well put together and entertaining. They captured the interest of the management staff." One OSBI report took place on the same day as a presentation by McKinsey & Company, Lyons observes. "It was an interesting juxtaposition — and a great experience for our staff." "Robert Lyons didn't want our recommendations to be restricted by budgetary or legislative constraints," notes Lambert, a former public relations executive who left a high-powered New York job to pursue her MBA at Illinois. "He asked us to build an ideal agency, based on a best-case scenario." The OSBI team recommended outsourcing as an "effective medium-term solution" to some of the agency's problems. "One thing the agency has to do is remain liquid, because it is self-funded. As the welfare rolls decline, so does the money. And non-welfare cases are increasing," Lambert notes. "The solution is to redeploy people." Students also reviewed the agency's existing computer system, as well as a new system then being introduced. "The MIS team looked at ways the system could make the agency more effective and helped the people there to get comfortable with it," Lambert says. The cost-benefit analysis done by the financial team led to the major recommendations already cited — outsourcing and shortening the cash flow cycle. "The agency has such a tough job to do," Lambert points out. "They have to do the best job they can within the constraints of the system — and those are unbelievable. They don't have complete control over hiring decisions. There are legislative constraints. And frequent changes in leadership, owing to politically appointed positions, mean it's also hard to create change." For administrator Lyons, "Having Illinois and the credibility the university brings helped our management staff here realize that the changes we're trying to make are not necessarily a bad thing. Now, when we're recruiting people, we show them the student report and say, `This is a very good report about the problems we face and how we need to address them.'" "It was nice to be part of a project serving the public good," Lambert concludes. "Though, looking back, I can't believe we were able to pull it off. We did it in two and a half months. During that same period I was carrying a full class load, I went through two rounds of finals, and I was looking for an internship. By the time I got to my internship in Dallas last summer I felt like I was on vacation — because I was only working eight and a half hours a day."

Executive MBA Program

IN CLASS AND ON LINE — SUCH WAS THE STATUS REPORT FOR SEVEN EXECUTIVE MBA STUDENTS  who came to class each week at the University of Illinois remote classroom in Oak Brook. Thanks to video, audio, and computer links, the seven students, including five executives from Motorola, were able to study in cyberspace, alongside classmates at Commerce. "One huge challenge was how to share data from the professor," says EMBA program director Merle Giles. "Chalk boards don't compress well on video — the contrast is too low." Instead, electronic whiteboards were used. "You can write or type on a whiteboard," says Giles. "And you can project it to the class and share it over the Internet." The hardware set-up thus called for two monitors — one showing the instructor, the other for data-sharing." Notes Giles, "Now Larry DeBrock, a professor of economics who teaches in the EMBA program, builds graphs into whiteboard software before the class. He then annotates upon the graphs in class."

Award-winning economics professor Larry DeBrock makes using the new classroom technology look easy.

Executive Development Center

It's just the degree for careerists who want to get down to business

INTRODUCED BY THE EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN THE FALL OF '97, THE CERTIFICATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION program rivals the Krannert calendar for oversubscription, with waiting lists that grow longer with each semester. When we first reported about this program (in our 1997 Annual Report), we had no idea how quickly it would grow or the new directions in which it would take us.

How to account for this success? It's just the degree for careerists who want to get down to business.

"Word is really getting out — the program is selling itself a lot," says program director Karyl Van Dyne. "The response has far exceeded all of our expectations." The eleven-week program is drawing a mix of participants from corporations and small businesses, and a few members of the campus community as well. Covering topics which range from strategy, marketing, and finance to negotiations and conflict management, the program has already inspired a high-tech spin-off.

To be launched in January 1999, the Certificate of Business Administration for Scientists program is especially designed for Ph.D. students in the sciences and for scientists and faculty. members who are in charge of laboratory facilities. "A scientist who gets a doctorate, then gets hired by CIBA-Geigy or Eli Lily may well be expected to go out and run a lab," says Van Dyne. "The program is designed to help them when it comes to running the lab, selling ideas, and managing staff."

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