When Dr. Joseph J. McGowan and the Board of Trustees unveiled Vision 2020, one area targeted
for growth was the creation of endowed chairs and professorships across
disciplines. That message struck a chord with a family who recognized the value
the Department of Accounting brings to the region.
Accounting is a cornerstone major in the W. Fielding Rubel School of Business. The
strength of the accounting program helped the Rubel School achieve
international AACSB accreditation in 2005 and reaccreditation in 2010—a
distinction held by only 15 percent of the business schools in the world.
Bellarmine’s
accounting program continues to build on its outstanding foundation by shattering
national averages for placing graduates at the so-called “Big 4” accounting
firms – 32 percent compared to 2 percent over an eight-year period. And the
Rubel School continues to have the highest pass rate in the commonwealth on the
Uniform CPA exam.
Endowment is a “living”
gift that goes on in perpetuity, freeing operating budget for other uses. Endowed
chairs exemplify excellence in higher education. The members of the family realized
how an endowed chair in accounting could benefit Bellarmine. They also felt
that the local accounting community, and alumni who rely on Bellarmine’s accounting
graduates, should have a stake in creating the position.
As a result, they have issued
a $1,000,000 challenge grant to be matched dollar-for-dollar. Because they are
humble as well as generous, the family wishes to remain anonymous. And so the
first fully funded endowed chair at Bellarmine will be named in honor of Fr.
Raymond J. Treece.
Fr.
Treece, the right-hand man to Bellarmine’s
founding president, Msgr. Alfred F. Horrigan, was instrumental in creating the
accounting major. He served as acting president in 1972-73 and played a major
role in selecting Eugene Petrik as Bellarmine’s second president.
Until now, the 33-year
career of this “plain-speaking founding father” has gone largely unrecognized. We
salute our anonymous donors for their vision and encourage those who value the
contributions of the Department of Accounting to meet their challenge.