Photo: Grant Beebe, The Daily Mississippian.
Over the last decade, The University of Mississippi’s E.H. Patterson School of Accountancy has climbed in national ranking.
Currently, the accountancy school ranks No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 4 in the nation.
Dale L. Flesher, the school’s associate dean for the last 10 years, said the ranking is a great source of pride for the school.
“You realize that there are like a thousand accountancy programs in the U.S.,” he said. “So for us to be in the top 25 is really an accomplishment, and to go to top 5 is really unbelievable; even the faculty has trouble believing that sometimes.”
Flesher said he feels there are many factors that contribute to the school’s success.
“Obviously, we get great students coming in,” he said. “We also have great support from our alumni; they are among the best donors among university alumni. They are also a hands-on alumni, so they help the faculty a lot.”
Accounting courses at the university have a reputation as being some of the most difficult courses on campus.
In Accountancy 201, for example, 44 percent of enrolled students had a D or an F at midterm last fall; in Accountancy 202, 43 percent fell below passing. The only classes with more struggling students at midterm were Biology 160 and Biology 206 with 45 percent below passing level.
So why is the accountancy program perceived as difficult by students?
Caitlin Young, a junior liberal studies major, believes it is due to a lack of background in accounting.
“In high school you never really learned anything (related) to accounting,” Young said. “Whereas in classes like history, math and science, you learn somewhat of a foundation, but for accounting there is no foundation at all.”
Flesher said many students are successful in accounting classes, with nearly half of students earning a C or above.
Christine Goss, a junior criminal justice major, ended up dropping Accountancy 201 because she found the class too difficult.
“In accounting, you either get it or you don’t,” she said. “After the first test, I knew it was way over my head, so I decided to drop.”
Flesher said many students are successful in accounting classes, with nearly half of students earning a C or above, but feels the accountancy program’s tendency to weed out less dedicated students early on is a major reason for the school’s success.
“It has a lot to do with competitiveness and lack of time spent by the students,” Flesher said. “I think accounting does require more time than other classes in terms of homework and studying, but that is how we see who’s competitive and who’s not. Students are either extremely competitive or not competitive at all.”
— AJ Dicandia
ajdicand@go.olemiss.edu
