Earl Stice

We have asked a few of our professors why they teach at BYU, what they hope students gain from their classes, and what advice they would give the incoming students. Today we will hear from Earl Stice, our PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor of Accounting. Enjoy!

-The Blog Team

What makes you different?

1. My love of accounting is a genetic endowment.

• My brother and I both teach accounting in the Marriott School.
• My older son is getting a PhD in accounting.
• My younger son (a BYU accounting major) hopes to start a PhD in accounting next year.
• My second daughter (a BYU economics major) is also considering getting a PhD in accounting.

2. I have connections with China.

• I teach at business schools in China two or three times each year. This stems from a three-year stay (1995-1998) on the accounting faculty at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
• One of my daughters is from China.
• My two youngest daughters (both from Kazakhstan) are in a Chinese-language immersion program here in Provo. They are second graders at Wasatch Elementary (across the street from BYU’s Law School).
• I have written three cases on Chinese industries (oil, air travel, and telecommunications) that are used in the Financial Statement Analysis course.

Why do you choose to teach in the BYU MBA program?

Teaching accounting to accounting students is primarily about accounting. Teaching accounting to MBA students is about accounting and finance and valuation and regulatory policy and international intrigue and much more. So, teaching accounting in the MBA program allows me to cover accounting as well as the interesting business implications of accounting.

What do you hope students will gain from your course, aside from its content?

Excitement about learning new things.

What advice would you give students in their first year of the MBA program?

• Don’t get behind in your coursework. Put in a full day of work every day (except for Sunday). Keep regular hours; late night work is a bad idea.
• From Day 1, remember that every interaction -- with fellow students, with faculty, and with Marriott School staff -- will impact your business reputation, for good or ill.

-Earl K. Stice, Ph.D.

Accounting Professor, School of Accountancy