Message from the Dean

Dear Accountancy Alumni and Friends,

We are enjoying another busy and exciting semester, and all is well at the Patterson School of Accountancy. We are proud of what the Patterson School continues to be able to accomplish, thanks to high-achieving students, dedicated and supportive alumni, and a teaching-oriented faculty who has maintained the steadfast commitment to excellence in the classroom that has been the hallmark of the Ole Miss accountancy program for decades.

The Patterson School received some historic news in late fall 2012. The most recent annual rankings of the Public Accounting Report were released, and all three of the Patterson School’s degree programs achieved all-time ranking highs and were ranked among the nation’s top ten. This marks the second consecutive year our programs have been among the top ten nationally (and we have been in the top twenty for five years in a row now). Our undergraduate program is ranked 9 nationally, our masters program is also ranked 9, with our doctoral program at number 8. Furthermore, the Ole Miss School of Accountancy is #1 in the SEC at the masters and doctoral levels (and #2 in the SEC at the undergraduate level) in terms of our national ranking. We are extremely proud of these rankings, which enhance our national visibility significantly and help us tremendously in recruiting outstanding students and faculty.

I am pleased to report that our official enrollment for 2012-13 reached an all-time high for the seventh consecutive year. Our total enrollment of 910 students includes 787 in our undergraduate program and 123 graduate students. Our enrollment has grown more than 33 percent over the past six years. Our spring internship program continues to thrive, and we had 86 students participate in internships during spring 2013 (an all-time high). These students interned in various cities throughout the southeast and southwest. Several students interned in New York City and we had one intern in London. Our program continues to offer students the opportunity to earn both bachelors and masters degrees within five years, experience a meaningful internship and be thoroughly prepared for the CPA exam.

We consider it a true privilege to serve you and our students. We are proud of the opportunities we are able to provide students, and we remain deeply grateful for the role our alumni and friends have played in enabling our success. You help us recruit top students, you provide career opportunities for our graduates, and you ensure we have the funding in place to meet our needs and to achieve excellence. Accountancy supporters have been the standard setters at Ole Miss for decades, and we ask you to continue this commitment to excellence. We appreciate so much your past support of our efforts in the Patterson School and trust that you will remain committed to these efforts.

Sincerely,

W. Mark Wilder

Dean and KPMG Professor