Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy Impact Report FY24-25

Dear Donor,

It’s a pleasure to share this year’s update, and I want to begin by sincerely thanking our donors for your continued support—your generosity has a direct and lasting impact on our students and programs.

This past year has been incredibly energizing. We’ve drawn inspiration from our students’ remarkable achievements, including winning the North America ERPSim Championship and advancing to Deloitte’s national tax competition. Moments like these refect the deep sense of purpose we feel in guiding the next generation of business leaders.

What I fnd most rewarding is seeing our students grow in confdence, leadership, and professional readiness. With the launch of SDSU’s STEM-designated MSA program, enhanced community college outreach, and innovative curriculum updates—such as data analytics and AI integration—we are entering an exciting era of growth and opportunity.

Thanks to your support, we’re not only advancing academic excellence—we're building a more inclusive and impactful future for our students and the accounting profession.

Jef Wang, Ph.D.

William E. Cole Director, Associate Professor

Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy

Propelling the SDSU Community Forward

Career and Professional Readiness Programming

Generous donors supported the Jef Wang and Yu Shen Family Career Readiness Fund and Paul Sager Career Readiness Series, which promote career and professional readiness activities for Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy students. This includes the annual Career Readiness & Etiquette Luncheon and a "Meet the Firms" networking event.

Thriving in the Aztec Experience

Anri Inoue, Class of 2025

Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: Fowler College of Business Major: Accounting

My time at the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy has been deeply rewarding.

Since 2023, I have worked with Professor Yan Luo as a teaching assistant, assisting her in compiling scholarly accounting research and supporting students through weekly ofce hours. Her mentorship has been foundational in shaping my academic and professional path. Dr. Luo also wrote a recommendation letter that helped me receive the PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) Scholars Award and the CalCPA (California Society of CPAs) San Diego Chapter Scholarship, both of which enabled me to continue in SDSU’s BMACC program.

This fall, I joined PwC’s Japanese Business Network in Los Angeles as an audit associate. The opportunity to learn under Dr. Luo's guidance has helped prepare me for this next chapter. She is an outstanding mentor whose support I deeply value.

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[Professor Yan Luo's] mentorship has been foundational in shaping my academic and professional path.

Tyler Sibal, Class of 2025 Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: Fowler College of Business Major: Accounting

Volunteering with the IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program has been the most rewarding part of my time in the Fowler College of Business. Preparing returns for both resident and non-resident international students allowed me to learn complex tax rules, sharpening my technical and communication skills.

Under Professor Kelley’s guidance, our VITA team grew confdent in preparing Form 1040-NR, understanding treaty benefts, using tax preparation software, and navigating IRS primary sources.

This summer, I began the CPA exam sequence and joined Ernst & Young’s Tax practice as an intern. Thanks to the VITA program, the blend of hands-on service, expert faculty support, and professional prep have given me the tools to excel after graduation.

“Thanks to the VITA program, the blend of hands-on service, expert faculty support, and professional prep have given me the tools to excel after graduation.

Hannah Dowdy, Class of 2025 Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: Fowler College of Business Major: Accounting

I had a great experience participating in the VITA program at SDSU. It was one of my favorite and most memorable courses. There are so many benefts to taking the class—you earn credits, gain hands-on experience, build tax knowledge, and feel like you're truly helping people and making a diference all at once.

One of my favorite parts was reaching a point in the class where I felt confdent enough to answer questions and clearly explain how a refund or balance due was calculated. I also loved seeing the smile on clients' faces when I told them they were getting a refund.

Professor Douglas Kelly made a huge efort to get to know every student and shared great career and life advice. He probably got at least 10,000 steps each class, walking from one student to the next to support us. He was incredibly helpful and encouraging.

My experience inspired me to return to VITA at a volunteer center—which I plan to do in the future.

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There are so many benefts to taking the class—you earn credits, gain hands-on experience, build tax knowledge, and feel like you're truly helping people and making a diference all at once.

Celebrating Shared Success

Statistics of Interest

The Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy's enrollment has been increasing steadily, despite a 30% nationwide decrease in accounting students.

Recent Highlights

SDSU hosted the 2025 Southern California Accounting Research Forum (SCARF), with professors from accounting programs across all universities in the Southern California region. We aim to start our own academic research conference on translational research that connects academia and practice.

Cohosted an Internship Information Night for accounting majors with RSM US, organized by lecturers Julie Hansen and Dan Goldzband.

Hosted the inaugural Generative AI for Accountants workshop in May. Attendees walked away with fresh insights on how AI is reshaping the accounting profession—from automating workfows to enhancing decision-making—all while earning valuable CPE credits.

130 students attended the third annual Career Readiness and Etiquette Luncheon. Paul Sager moderated the event and delivered a tailored presentation that addressed key concerns and included soft skills training materials from top accounting frms and recruiters to directly address student needs.

Hosted a Meet the Firms Readiness event, where students had the opportunity to network with recruiters and alumni.

Resilient

Innovation & Opportunity

Enrollment at the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy continues to rise, even as accounting programs nationwide see a 30% decline.

SDSU Accounting is driving innovation and opportunity—hosting AI workshops, career events, and research forums that prepare students for success in a changing profession.

Faculty Achievements

Amanda Marino, Ph.D.

Title: Assistant Professor, Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy College: Fowler College of Business Achievement: Amanda Marino was awarded the American Taxation Association (ATA) 2025 Teaching Innovation Award.

Steve Gill, Ph.D.

Title: Associate Professor, Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy College: Fowler College of Business

Achievement: Steve Gill has been selected as the Fowler College of Business recipient of the 2025 Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to the University.

Steve and other award recipients were honored during the All-University Convocation on August 21, 2025.

Shira Cohen, Ph.D.

Title: Associate Professor, Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy College: Fowler College of Business

Achievement: Accounting Professor Shira Cohen was named among the "50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2024" by Poets & Quants.

The publication lauded her for "both her research and teaching."

“Associate Professors Amanda Marino, Steve Gill, and Shira Cohen, Ph.D.s, are honored for outstanding teaching, innovation, and research excellence in the Fowler College of Business and beyond.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

SDSU VITA continues to be the only VITA site in San Diego County with student volunteers trained to prepare tax returns for foreign students.

This semester, we had 38 student volunteers and two graduate assistant volunteers. During the seven sessions in which we were open for business (~35 hours in total), our student volunteers prepared approximately 350 tax returns (about 50 per session) this tax season. This was a 50% increase over 2024, primarily serving students— specifcally SDSU foreign students.

Doug Kelley, lecturer for SDSU VITA, gave three separate presentations to foreign student/scholar populations regarding tax law and preparation specifc to their situations. This included the SDSU foreign studentathlete population, as well as foreign student/scholar populations at SDSU, UCSD, and USD.