Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy Impact Report FY23-24
Dear Donor,
I am delighted to reach out to you as we refect on the exciting progress and initiatives underway at the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy.
First and foremost, I am proud to announce strong enrollment numbers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Such momentum is a testament to our outstanding reputation and the dedication of our faculty and staf to delivering a high-quality education.
Additionally, our faculty published six articles in top-ranked (elite academic journals this past year, an unprecedented number in our history.
I wish to express my profound gratitude. Your belief, support, and engagement are the driving forces behind our accomplishments and vision. Let us continue our collaborative journey, upholding the powerful legacy of the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy.
Jef J. Wang, Ph.D.
William E. Cole Director Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy
Changing Lives through Program Support
Career and Professional Readiness
The Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy received three signifcant gifts to support the hosting of career readiness lunches at least twice per academic year.
The lunches provide an opportunity for students to interact with business leaders and accounting professionals and receive guidance on how to engage with colleagues and clients in a business setting.
Attendees of one of the Career Readiness lunches
Living the Aztec Experience
Savannah Atkin, Class of 2024
Class Level: Undergraduate Student
College: Fowler College of Business
Major: B.S. in Business Administration, Accounting and an M.S. in Accountancy
I am grateful for my time as an accounting student at SDSU.
The Fowler College of Business ofered a plethora of resources to fnd internships and jobs within my feld. I attended Meet the Firms, an event hosted by the accounting student organizations each semester, multiple times where I was able to network with many diferent accounting frms and ultimately land internship ofers at the Big Four frms. I attended events the accounting student organizations held with the accounting frms to network with the professionals present.
Additionally, I participated in the mentor-mentee program through Beta Alpha Psi where a mentor guided me through the process of obtaining an internship and answered my accounting-related questions. As a member of student organizations at SDSU, I had many opportunities to obtain leadership positions that helped me develop professional skills, meet other business students, and practice working with diferent individuals.
I will always be grateful for my time at SDSU and the support available to me to achieve my goals. I will be starting full-time as an Audit Assistant at Deloitte and am working towards passing my CPA exams to earn my professional license.
I will always be grateful for my time at SDSU and the support available to me to achieve my goals.
Celebrating Shared Success
Statistics of Interest
752 undergraduate students and 825 graduate students enrolled; with the largest application pool since the pandemic for Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) with 95 applicants.
We were one of two teams in the region to advance to the National Competition for DeloitteFanTAXtic 2023.
The CWLSOA team won the North American ERPSim Game Competition Championship among 26 teams from the US and Canada, and represented North America in the International Competition in June 2024.
Beta Alpha Psi won the BAP Nationals “Superior” Chapter award for the second year in a row.
Recent Highlights
We ran three accounting research workshops during the spring 2024 semester. SDSU will host the 2025 Southern California Accounting Research Forum. Presented our program to Grossmont and Mesa college students during their orientation in fall 2023.
Organized an annual luncheon where students can engage and learn about the growing need for skills from seasoned accounting professionals. Additionally, our students are using the AI platform PitchVantage to sharpen their communication, resume, and language skills before they transition into their chosen professions.
We have taken steps to advance our Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program into a STEM major. This aligns with our priorities in providing students with the hands-on experience in the latest technologies employed by the Big Four accounting frms and other large organizations.
Proud to announce that assistant professor Marcus Brooks recently established San Diego’s frst chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). NABA serves our local underrepresented communities by introducing the accounting profession to promising Black students and ofering support and networking opportunities to Black accounting professionals in the San Diego community.
Host Institution
SDSU will host the 2025 Southern California Accounting Research Forum
Helping to Build a Brighter Future
Rebecca Perols, Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor, Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy
College: Fowler College of Business Achievement:
One of Becca Perols' top auditing publications, The Impact of Cybersecurity Risk Management Examinations and Cybersecurity Incidents on Investor Perceptions and Decisions, was selected by the American Accounting Association (AAA) for a new Impact Hub of high-quality research with a timely and actionable societal impact.
Shijun (Tonni) Xia, Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor, Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy
College: Fowler College of Business Achievement:
Shijun (Tonni) Xia won the Grad Fee Grant for the project titled “Value or Values? An Examination of ESG Investors’ Responses to Child Labor Abuse News in Investee Firms” (Awarded in Spring 2024), and the SURP Grant for the project titled “Stock Market Reaction to Child Labor Abuse” (Awarded in Spring 2024).
Faculty Achievements
Yan Luo, Ph.D.
Title: Professor, Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy College: Fowler College of Business Achievement:
Accounting Professor Yan Luo was honored with the college’s Teaching Excellence Award for 2023 for outstanding skills in the classroom and consistent dedication to students.
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Congratulations, Dr. Luo, on receiving the 2023 Teaching Excellence Award!
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
This semester, we had 14 undergraduate student volunteers and three Graduate Assistant volunteers in the class. During the seven sessions in which we were open for business (~35 hours in total), our student volunteers prepared 238 tax returns (on average, 34 per session), primarily for students, specifcally SDSU foreign students.
SDSU VITA is the only VITA site in San Diego County with volunteers trained to prepare foreign student tax returns. While our demand could not keep up with the number of students who sought assistance, those we could assist were very thankful that we operate a VITA site at SDSU.
Additionally, we provided guidance and assistance to many others, including getting them in touch with other VITA sites once we were operating at maximum capacity.
VITA student reviewing a tax return
Students during VITA
SDSU students providing tax support to low-income taxpayers
