Three Tobin Accounting Professors Earn Accolades

Three members of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business Department of Accountancy – David Y. Chan, Vincent J. Shea II and Mark M. Ulrich – have been honored for their achievements in the field with an appointment or an award.

Chan, an associate professor who is also the director of the M.S. Risk and Financial Advisory Program, and the director of the Internal Audit Education Partnership Program, has been appointed to the New York Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Board of Governors.

The NYIIA serves over 105,000 members in internal auditing, governance and internal control, IT audit, education, and security from more than 160 countries and territories. The Institute has recognized St. John’s as one of only 15 comprehensive-level IAEP audit programs in the US, and the only one in the New York metropolitan area.

“The NYIIA and its members have been very supportive of our students and of our program,” said Chan.

A licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York, a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Information Systems Auditor, and a Certified Fraud Examiner, Chan is a well-liked and respected teacher whose classes in auditing are among the most popular in the department.

Shea, an associate professor and a Certified Public Accountant, was acknowledged by PwC for incorporating SAP into undergraduate- and graduate-level accounting information system courses. He received a $10,000 grant from the Big Four professional service firm’s INQuires funding for curriculum development initiative in 2014-15. He used the grant to give his students in undergraduate and graduate courses in Accounting Information Systems real world, hands-on experience with SAP’s enterprise resource planning system (ERP). SAP predictive analytics, cloud-based ERP SAP HANA, and blockchain are examples of applications used in the courses.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Shea also administers the Microsoft Office Specialist certification, which is now required for accountancy majors.

Ulrich, an adjunct assistant professor, was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Foundation for Accounting Education. The FAE provides lifelong continuing education to certified public accountants in New York State.

“It is fitting that David’s, Mark’s, and Vincent’s accomplishments have been recognized by their peers throughout the profession,” said Nina T. Dorata, C.P.A., Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Accountancy. “Vincent’s efforts to prepare our students for the future demonstrate the importance of technology and analytics in the advancement of our profession."