Barbara
Cassidy, CPA/PFS, professor and director of Accounting programs
in the School of Business Administration at St. Edward’s University,
has been selected as a Piper Professor for 2004 by the Minnie Stevens
Piper Foundation. As a recipient of the award, Cassidy will receive
an honorarium of $5,000 as well as a certificate and gold pin.
Each
year, the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation recognizes 15 faculty
members from accredited two- and four-year institutions in Texas
for superior teaching at the college level. Participation in the
Piper Professor program is by invitation only, and to be eligible,
candidates must be nominated through their college or university
president’s office.
“I
enjoy creating exciting experiential learning applications and promoting
learning for personal enjoyment and enrichment,” said Cassidy,
who created a personal teaching mission statement to explain her
commitment to and expectations from students. “I can’t
expect students to be enthusiastic about learning if I’m not
enthusiastic about teaching.”
In
addition to being named a Piper Professor, Cassidy has received
numerous accolades for her teaching including the 2001 St. Edward’s
University Distinguished Teaching Award for exceptional teaching
and dedicated service to students and the 2001 Outstanding Accounting
Educator from the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants
for both excellence in teaching and service to the profession.
Cassidy
is an honors graduate from Marshall University and the University
of Arizona. As a former tax manager and an ongoing practitioner,
she brings real-world experience to the classroom. On campus, she
was the founder and 14-year sponsor of the St. Edward’s Accounting
Club, and is the current sponsor of Delta Mu Delta business honor
society. As an advocate for students, she spearheaded efforts to
develop and implement a formal university policy to ban credit card
company solicitations on campus.
Cassidy,
who has taught at St. Edward’s since 1985, is the sixth faculty
member from the university to receive the prestigious teaching award
since its inception in 1958. Previous winners include: Brother Simon
Scribner, CSC (1968), Edward Mangum (1982), Brother William H. Dunn,
CSC (1986), Catherine MacDermott (1997) and Eamonn F. Healy (2001).
Founded
by the Congregation of Holy Cross, St. Edward’s University
has been named as one of America’s Best Colleges for 2004
by U.S. News & World Report. St. Edward’s is
a private Catholic, liberal arts university of approximately 4,450
students located in Austin, Texas.
(Photo
available upon request.)
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