The Haub School continues to lead the charge in business education in both the Philadelphia region and nationwide. Our recent accreditation reaffirmation in both business and accounting provides ample evidence of that. From its inception, the Haub School’s core focus has been on key industry segments, with accounting leading the way. I take great pride in the successful achievements of the department providing an enormously successful professional educational experience with outstanding placement of its graduates. Our many alumni partners can take credit for the remarkable technology evolution of the accounting program.
A Message From the Department Chair
Rajneesh Sharma, PhD
With great pride and excitement, I welcome you to Spring 2025 edition of The Ledger & Quill, where we celebrate the Accounting program’s many achievements and milestones. This year has been marked by remarkable successes, from our reaffirmation of AACSB accreditation a testament to our commitment to excellence in business education to our continued integration of technology and innovation in accounting.
In more good news, our student-led organization, the Accounting Society, has had a record-breaking year, hosting our most successful Accounting Industry Job Fair yet.
In more good news, our student-led organization, the Accounting Society, has had a recordbreaking year, hosting our most successful Accounting Industry Job Fair yet. Our Accounting Alumni Reception at the Union League of Philadelphia brought together generations of accounting professionals to share insights, celebrate achievements, and strengthen bonds.
Our students, with the help of exceptional faculty, continue to push boundaries through cutting-edge research as Ragan Scholars, technology-driven learning as STAR Scholars, or engage in enrichment experiences as Sutula Scholars. We are incredibly proud of our strong alum network, whose unwavering support and mentorship have contributed to our graduates’ high job placement rates and professional success.
As we look ahead, our department remains dedicated to shaping the future of accounting education through technological advancements, ethical leadership, and experiential learning. Thank you to our faculty, students, alums, and industry partners for being part of this incredible journey.
We invite you to stay engaged, share your experiences, and help us continue building on the Accounting program’s legacy of excellence.
The Department of Accounting is proud to announce its recent accreditation reaffirmation from the AACSB. Per the AACSB:
“Achieving this milestone ensures greater access to high-quality business education for learners around the world and businesses seeking top talent. Achieving AACSB accreditation is a mission-driven, rigorous process that includes an in-depth assessment of internal activities, mentorship with an AACSB advisor, and a peer evaluation focused on continuous improvement.”
Noteworthy Practices and Initiatives From the AACSB’s Peer Review Letter to SJU Accounting
The integration of students into faculty research - Ragan Scholars, and STAR Scholars - is a great opportunity for students to expand their academic skills and to forge closer bonds with the faculty.
The strong fundraising results is but one output of the extensive network of satisfied alumni. The accounting department faculty are very engaged in recruiting and offering experiential learning opportunities to students Tying the Jesuit mission to scholarship opportunities through the Sutula Scholars, a program that focuses on students' commitment to ethical business practices through alumni presented seminars.
The department has done extensive work to integrate all elements of technology - and especially SAP - into the classroom. Students report that these classes helped connect all they learned and gave them the "big picture" of how all parts of accounting, controls, and risk come together.
The Hawk accounting alumni network is exceptional. Augmented by a deeply connected and committed group of faculty, the alumni and students have many opportunities for interaction and connection throughout their time at St. Joe’s. This network seems to contribute to the high job placement and deep satisfaction from the students.
2024 ACCOUNTING ALUMNI RECEPTION THE UNION LEAGUE OF PHILADELPHIA
In early November, the Haub School of Business was pleased to host another successful Accounting Alumni Reception. Hosted at the Union League of Philadelphia, this event was geared towards honoring the recipients, networking with past and present alumni, and hearing in on recent news within the department.
UPCOMING HSB EVENT HALL OF FAME DINNER
Honoring John P. Morrissey ‘80
April 23rd
The Union League of Philadelphia
2024 EDWARD G. SUTULA OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD
Charlie O’Brien ‘92, P’21
2024 YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Kiki Daly ‘21, Brandon Talisesky ‘14
Department Updates
Remembering Joe Larkin
Dr. Joseph Larkin, Professor Emeritus of Accounting, passed away on January 21, 2025. He will be dearly missed by his family, many friends, and all those who benefitted from him at SJU.
Joe was Professor Larkin, CPA, to many students in his 39-year career as an accounting professor at Saint Joseph’s University. During his tenure, Dr. Larkin served as department chairman and served on several boards, including as an advisor to the Accounting Society, SJU Athletic Board, among others. Most satisfying to Joe of these many roles was teaching and advising St. Joseph’s students. He even shared his beloved Sheltie dog, Sadie, with his students during exam time.
Professor Joseph Ragan, Edward G. Sutula Chair in Accounting, hired Joe back in 1985 and worked for him throughout his 39 years of professional service to the Department of Accounting. “Joe was a consummate professional, always at the ready to help and assist with any project, be it big or small. I was always touched by the fact that he put students first and never missed an opportunity to praise and reinforce good work. As with many SJU educators, he lived the hallmark of the Jesuit tradition of providing service to others The Department will never be the same ”
Retired Professor Emeritus
Special thanks to Kent St. Pierre for his leadership of the department from 2012-2023. Dr. St. Pierre was admired by both students and faculty. Dr. St. Pierre retired last spring after many years of making substantial contributions to accounting education, both at SJU and at several other schools. We wish him well in retirement!
Retired Administrator
We would like to thank Stella Jacobs for her contributions to the Accounting Department over the past 35 years. As an administrative assistant, Stella has had an immense impact on countless students. We wish Stella all the best during her retirement!
Full-Time Faculty Faculty Emeriti
WaQar Ghani, PhD
Amy Ji, PhD
Martin Kim, PhD
Jing Lin, PhD
Joe Ragan, MA, MBA, CPA
Rajneesh Sharma, PhD
J. L Souza, PhD
A.J. Stagliano
Greg Tanzola, DBA, MBA, CPA
Dr. Corolyn Clark
Dr. Jack Haverty
Dr. Rick Sherman
Dr. Kent St. Pierre
Ledger & Quill Editors
Editor: Luca Berenato ‘25
Contributing
Editors:
Professor Joseph Ragan ‘69, Joseph Pro ‘25
The goal of a Ragan Scholar is to think, create, and transform, consistent with the legacy of Professor Joseph M. Ragan, whose career spans over 48 years, including 29 years as Chair of the Department of Accounting
Joseph Pro is completing work on “The Evolution of Sustainability Reporting by Fortune 500 Firms in the USA” which will be presented at an international conference in Seville, Spain in June 2025
Luca Berenato’s project involves building and developing stronger communication networks between the Department of Accounting and accounting alumni
Ashleigh McNellis is working on SAP Fiori to incorporate the development of Material Master Files into Accounting courses
Shane Repp is conducting research on Non-GAAP Metrics, and comparing them to GAAP Metrics.
The STAR Scholar Program at Saint Joseph's University is designed to prepare students for the pinnacle of success using cutting-edge technology. The team is currently involved in the support and design of multiple user-case accounting technology projects for use in accounting courses. -Joseph Pro ‘25
Special thanks to the STAR NextGen Alumni Advisory Board for the continuing support helping to integrate technology into the accounting classroom. Their contributions range from technology consultations to speaker presentations.
Mary Dorman ‘25 Joseph Pro ‘25
The PCAOB scholarship provides a source of funding to encourage outstanding undergraduate and graduate students to pursue a degree of auditing.
Known for his professionalism, the Walsh scholarship is awarded to students for academic achievement and leadership promise within the public accounting industry.
Emily Cecchine ‘25
Eric Dinofa ‘25 Mary Dorman ‘25
This program helps future Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) reach their goals with scholarships and awards that honor outstanding scholastic achievement. Candidates are judged on intellect, leadership, financial need and the intent to pursue a career in accounting.
Known for the community service of Dr. Robert Juckett, this scholarship is awarded to individuals who exemplify his scholarly ability, service to the community, and a display of financial need.
Joseph Pro ‘25
Eric Dinofa ‘25
Danielle Juliano ‘25
Shane Repp ‘25
Lauren Hatt ‘25
Dario Recine ‘25
Luca Berenato ‘25
Ashleigh McNellis ‘25
Ashleigh McNellis ‘25
Margueritte McWeemey ‘25
Emily Cecchine ‘25
Brandon Barrett ‘25
Shane Repp ‘25
Walsh Scholarship
Juckett
President: Luca Berenato
Vice President: Daniel Beahm
Secretary: Brandon Barrett
Treasurer: Dylan Flynn
Director or Socials: Angelina Christodoulou
Sutula Scholars
Accounting Society
This year was record-breaking for the Accounting Society! Along with our numerous workshops held with many different firms, we also held our annual Accounting Industry Fair. This semester, we worked with the Career Center to make this years’ even bigger and better. This year, we hosted over 25 firms, and had over 115 students in attendance!
Luca Berenato
Emily Cecchine
Lauren Hatt
Danielle Juliano
Ashleigh McNellis
Marguerite McWeeney
Joseph Pro
Dario Recine
Shane Repp
Michael Sorochen
The Sutula Scholar class is having a blast this year! The scholars took a trip down to New York City before winter break to visit the PwC and Johnson & Johnson headquarters. They also worked together in bringing back the Accounting Mentor Program, assisting freshman accounting students with the information they need to succeed! The students were also an integral part of the AASCB Accreditation, discussing the Accounting program at SJU and how it has helped them with their personal careers. We thank Professor Ragan for his hard work in making this a great enrichment opportunity for many students.
The Hawk Accounting Network was created to provide necessary information to succeed as an accounting major here at SJU. In the network, you can find contacts to campus recruiters, Accounting Society updates, scholarship programs, and so much more!
INNOVATIONS IN ACCOUNTING TECHNOLOGY
Technology has long been a cornerstone of the SJU accounting curriculum. We set out in 1998 to make our program the foremost technology-embedded accounting degree program in the region. The first phase of that process began when we joined the SAP University Alliance. Over some 27 years, we have substantially evolved the educational process to include SAP in 57% of our major courses. This evolution has been in the form of demos, webinars, recordings, faculty training events, competitions, and learning platforms.
For more information on our current SAP delivery, visit the SAP Leadership Program at https://www.sju.edu/departments/accounting/resources/sap
The SAP Leadership Team works with the tools and resources of integrative business process technology and strategic thinking. The use of artificial intelligence and data analytics focuses on state-of-the-art analysis and visualizations produced from reports generated in SAP S/4HANA. The focus of these reports includes the following modules:
Financials and Controlling Ledger
Materials Management and Purchasing
Sales and Product Distribution
Production Planning
ESG Reporting and Artificial Intelligence
What Do Our Students Say About Our Program?
A survey of accounting alumni who graduated over the last 15 years (2008-2023) was conducted. Selected student responses are included below:
There were multiple opportunities to learn and grow professionally. The programs and learning opportunitiesin and out of class- equipped me with tools that have helped me in my career.
I feel the accounting department really helped me connect with the firms I wanted to work at, which were the top firms in the world They also prepared me well for my career, both on a professional skill set level and on a personal soft skill level.
The program was amazing preparation for a career in accounting I felt SJU prepared me very well for the professional environment.
SJU Accounting has a great alumni network with opportunities to be exposed to real-world experience from alumni who are experts in their field
SJU allowed me to realize my full potential by preparing me as a person both inside and outside of the classroom. Programs like Ragan Scholars and Sutula Scholars enabled me to gain invaluable experience in a professional setting working with other students and professors.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE ACCOUNTING ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD (AAAB)
We thank each and every one of the advisory board members for making room in their busy schedules to serve on the board. The AAAB serves as a sounding board to the department and has been instrumental with their guidance on many issues, including curriculum, research, accreditation, strategy, and many of our growing academic initiatives.
In support of their remarkable work, the AACSB Peer Review Team said the following:
“The accounting department has an active Advisory Board, with participants at different career levels providing ongoing feedback on key strategic issues for the Department. A major characteristic of the board is that it focuses predominantly on technology advice and curriculum They have strong relationships with corporate partners, resulting in outstanding SAP offerings, grants to support technology across the curriculum, and a significant amount of philanthropic dollars contributed each year to the Department ”
The advisory board membership listed below includes members for the current academic year (2024-2025)
Sarah Beierle Campbell Vice President, Corporate Controller, Berwind
Matthew Benedetto Senior Manager, EY
Adam Dobroskey Finance Solution Advisor, SAP
Greg Dusing Vice President of Internal Audit, Nouryon
Brendan Gillespie Chief of Staff, Office of the President & CFO UKG
Jerry Glynn Director, Andersen
Dan Giorgio Manager, Grant Thornton
Annie Hosler
SAP Security, Controls and GRC Manager, PwC
JC Hosler
Security and GRC Leader Director of Product, PwC
Lindsey Jovanovski Manager, Kreischer Miller
Conlan McAndrew Manager, Cencora
Larry McAlee Retired CFO
Meghan McGettigan Partner, PwC
Patrick McGettigan Partner, PwC
Kelly Mulhearn Partner, EisnerAmper
John Neary Partner, Deloitte
Kevin Purfield Partner, EY
Marty Quinn Finance Manager, J&J
Brian Rizman Managing Partner, Edgile
Matt Riviello Partner, BDO
Steve Sessa Managing Director, KPMG
Giovanni Sparacio Custom Officer Office of the President & CFO UKG
Jennifer Stemple Audit Partner, KPMG
Michael Swanick Retired PwC Partner
Caroline Tadduni Senior Financial Analyst, J&J
We thank our donors and corporate supporters for their generous donations to the Accounting Alumni Reception. These contributions make each year even bigger and better.
Larry McAlee ’86
Pat Burke ’92 & Nick Burnet ’92
Tony Conti ’70 / PwC
Charles O’Brien ’92
Gerald Maginnis ’77
Joe Ragan ’69
Department of Accounting
Mandeville Hall 5600 City Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19131
Support Saint Joseph’s University
Make a gift to support scholarships and financial aid. For more information, contact Tom Fithian (tfithian@sju.edu), Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Sign up for our online mentoring program SJU Connects for one-to-one career consultations with fellow alumni and students. Follow the Alumni Association of Saint Joseph's University on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
