Dr. Jeff Long Outstanding Professor Award

The Beta Alpha Psi Chapter in the School of Accountancy at Auburn University recently named Dr. Jeff Long as the 2023 recipient of their prestigious Outstanding Professor Award. His passion for teaching accounting students is unmatched, as you can tell from the inspirational Q&A session featured below. Congratulations, Dr. Long!

Q: What is your favorite part of being a professor at AU?

A: My favorite part of being a professor at AU is meeting all the great students in my classes I teach. There are so many impressive students from wide and diverse backgrounds. It is very inspiring to see the future accounting and business leaders work as hard as they do in their pursuit of earning an Auburn degree while planning for their future career. I have enjoyed getting to know some of my students particularly well and have enjoyed listening to their plans after college, often time offering advice to them.

Q: What have you learned through your teaching career?

A: I have learned that students’ needs, experiences, and knowledge are all different. I don’t necessarily see teaching being about the subject matter I am teaching, I see it as helping students find and see their strengths, and how completing my class is just one step along the journey. I also have learned that students can get just as much knowledge from me sharing my personal experiences during my lectures, as they can from the text books and exams.

Q: What is your main goal as a professor?

A: My main goal as a professor is to teach the accounting subject matter in a way that allows the students to have a solid foundation of the material – not necessarily to make them experts in the particular subject. I also want students to see the big picture of a business from a financial standpoint. But most importantly, I want students to know that integrity, character, and treating others respectfully are more important than intelligence.

Recipient

Q: Who was the greatest influence in your career path/ life?

A: I would say my mother has been the greatest influencer in my life. As a single mother raising me and my sister, she showed me the importance of hard work. She also instilled in me a foundation to treat others as I would want to be treated.

Q: What advice do you have for students majoring in accounting?

A: My advice is to see accounting as just one step to a broader career. There are so many opportunities that can open up for someone with a strong accounting background. Don’t be afraid to try something new – or pursue careers outside of accounting. I have friends that majored in accounting at Auburn, became CPAs while starting careers at accounting firms, only to enter other professions later. One friend is a current attorney and another is an ER doctor. Don’t think you have to be an “accountant” for the rest of your career.