Accounting Department Attracts Top Scholar

Accounting Department Attracts Top Scholar

"The strength of David Guenther's credentials places him among the top tax researchers in the country," explained Helen Gernon, head of the accounting department and associate dean of professional affairs, noting that his hiring is a significant achievement that advances the Lundquist College of Business's strategic initiative to recruit and retain top faculty.

 David Guenther, CPA, comes to the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business as the Scharpf Professor of Accounting. He previously held the Tisone Chair in Accounting at the University of Colorado's Leeds School of Business and is acknowledged as a leading expert in tax accounting.

Guenther received his doctorate from the University of Washington in 1990. He focuses his teaching on financial accounting and taxation. Guenther's research seeks to understand the effects of income taxes on financing, investing, and other business decisions.

"It is an extremely exciting time be involved in accounting education," said Guenther, "and our accounting students are some of the best in the college. The changes happening at the Lundquist College of Business are positive signs that good things are happening here and will continue to happen in the future. I am thrilled to be part of that future."

Guenther is associate editor of Accounting Horizons and a prolific writer and speaker. He has been awarded the American Taxation Association Manuscript Award on three occasions, has presented his research at more than twenty-five universities, and has been published in numerous journals, including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting & Economics, and Journal of Accounting Research. He is also author of the text Financial Reporting and Analysis.

"Guenther comes to us as a proven researcher who can mentor junior faculty and Ph.D. students in a research capacity," said Gernon.

She also noted that recruiting faculty at Guenther's level requires significant resources. Associate Dean of External Affairs Chris Murray concurred that bringing in top faculty would not be possible without the private support provided by donors. He explained that the college was able to attract Guenther because of a generous endowment from Doris and Bill Scharpf and through summer-research support funds from donor contributions to the Accounting Circle, a group of key advisers from the business community that provides valuable guidance to the Department of Accounting.

"Our ability to bring Dave Guenther to the University of Oregon shows how donor support directly impacts and improves the quality of our faculty and education. Without them, this would not have been possible. We are very grateful for their support," Murray said.