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Faculty Impact

William Raabe, senior lecturer, Accounting and MIS

Developing Responsible Leaders

At Fisher College, leadership involves giving back, both in business and in life. That belief is the underlying philosophy of the college’s Tax Clinic, which provides free tax preparation services to low-income taxpayers in the Columbus metro area. The program, led by William A. Raabe of the college’s tax faculty, utilizes the expertise of MAcc, MBA and Beta Alpha Psi certified tax volunteers. This year, the clinic helped an estimated 250 families and individuals receive over $110,000 in earned income tax credits. The clinic is part of the Columbus Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition, and Fisher College students work as partners with the Columbus City Council, the Godman Guild Community Center and the Ohio Hispanic Coalition. Raabe is passionate about reinvesting in the community and believes this type of service helps Fisher College students develop an appreciation for client service and interaction, build their resumes and give back their professional expertise to underrepresented and lower-income taxpayers. A leading tax educator and author, Raabe plays a major role in top accounting firm’s tax functions and is well-known for his nationally marketed estate and gift planning software. His textbooks have been used by 1.5 million tax students and professionals, including the Internal Revenue Service, which uses Raabe’s materials in its training and in forming audit policies.

To honor his recently completed term as president of the American Finance Association and his overall contributions to the world of finance, Professor Stulz’s former PhD students and current colleagues created the René M. Stulz Scholar Development Award in 2005.

Contributions to Finance

Leading financial experts from around the world discussed how conflicts of interest affect the world of finance at Fisher College’s Agency Problems and Conflicts of Interest in Financial Intermediaries conference. Hosted by the Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Journal of Financial Economics, the conference was made possible through financial help from the Shackelford Foundation. René Stulz, Everett D. Reese Chair of Banking and Monetary Economics and Dice Center director, led the conference, which featured the SEC’s chief economist and finance faculty from Harvard, London Business School, New York University, MIT, Stanford and other universities. Stulz served as editor of the Journal of Finance for 12 years and is one of the most published and most frequently cited scholars in finance in the world. He currently sits on the editorial board of more than 10 journals and has published over 60 papers in publications, including Journal of Political Economy and Journal of Financial Economics. Last year, Treasury and Risk Management named him one of the 100 most influential people in finance.

Michael Camp, academic director of the Center for Entrepreneurship

Ideas into Business

Entrepreneur magazine ranks Fisher College’s entrepreneurship program a top-tier program— among the top 13 in the nation. According to Michael Camp, academic director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, it’s just one measure of success for the program. The center is also developing an interdisciplinary minor in collaboration with Ohio State’s Colleges of Human Ecology, Engineering, Arts and Sciences, Economics and Agricultural Food and Environmental Sciences. The new program will allow students throughout the university to develop the skills needed to start their own businesses. Another indication that the college’s entrepreneurial efforts are paying off is the 2005 Business Plan Competition, sponsored by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, hosted by the center and now in its fifth year. Last year’s winning team of 2004 Executive MBA graduates, including Dr. Henry Fabian, Thomas Abbas, Rick Karr, Lisa Paley and Jason Smith, is on track to turn their business dream into a reality. With direction from Management and Human Resources Professors Sharon Alvarez, Jay Barney and Associate Dean for Executive Programs Anil Makhija, the group formed Vertebration, Inc. to market a newly developed implant designed to relieve chronic back pain. The company used last year’s first-place win in the Fisher College Business Plan Competition as a launching pad to win the $50,000 first prize in Fortune Small Business magazine’s national business plan competition, outperforming over 50 teams from universities around the country. The payoff? More than just seed money for a new venture, according to Camp. It’s the ability to turn an idea into business and find solutions that benefit consumers. Pending FDA approval, Vertebration forecasts revenues of $2.6 million in 2006.