BYU Accounting Professors Awarded Wildman Medal

PROVO, Utah – Jun 28, 2013 – Marriott School of Management accounting professors Steve Glover and Doug Prawitt are being honored with the prestigious American Accounting Association/Deloitte Wildman Medal award for their significant contribution to the practice of public accountancy through the application of insights from academic research to professional judgment.

Glover and Prawitt will be presented with medals and a $5,000 award in Anaheim, Calif., at the AAA’s annual conference this August for their monograph “Elevating Professional Judgment in Auditing: The KPMG Professional Judgment Framework.”

The award-winning monograph was co-authored with KPMG national partners Rob Chevalier, George Herrmann and Sam Ranzilla.

“Our paper’s reception by accounting academics and practitioners highlights the fact that collaborations between these parties can be very productive,” Prawitt says. “Academic accounting research can be rigorous, yet at the same time, contribute significantly to real-world issues.”

First presented in 1979, the Wildman Medal recognizes authors who publish the most significant contribution to the practice of public accountancy, including audit, tax and management services. Judges consider publications from within the last five years and award a winner based on the practical implications and impact of the author’s research.

Glover and Prawitt’s article represents a collaboration between professionals and academics, combining decades of research with practical application in accountancy. Such collaboration is rare and provides an important contribution to enhancing the application of professional judgment and skepticism by practicing accountants and auditors. One way the monograph helps to improve judgment is by providing practical steps to overcome common judgment traps and biases.

“Business school academics tend to focus on the application of theory in real-world business settings, so it is particularly gratifying to receive recognition for making a significant contribution to the advancement of the practice of public accountancy,” says Glover, School of Accountancy director. “We had no idea our paper had been nominated for the award. It was a pleasant surprise and a great honor to be selected.”

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems, and entrepreneurship. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.