WSU accounting department receives $1.5M donation

Washington State University’s accounting department received an anonymous $1.5 million donation to create an endowment benefiting students.

Bernard Wong-On-Wing, professor and chairman of WSU’s accounting department, says the gift will be used to recruit diverse and underrepresented students, increase high-impact learning and help provide innovative curricula with topics including data analytics and cyber security.

The donation will also contribute to student engagement and active learning.

“These specifics primarily emphasize faculty teaching responsibilities and required technical skills,” Wong-On-Wing said. “As such, they complement the activities designed to develop the soft and professional skills that are also important for our accounting students to learn.”

The WSU Carson College of Business Department of Accounting Endowed Excellence Fund aids undergraduate advising, career guidance and event support, according to WSU Insider.

WSU President Kirk Schulz said the anonymous gift allows the Carson College to have more flexibility allocating funds.

“Priorities, initiatives and technologies to support our students, faculty and staff inevitably change over time,” Schulz said. “The flexible nature of unrestricted support creates opportunities for our leaders to make strategic investments where they will have the greatest return on that investment.”

The recent donation will also have a lasting impact on students and faculty recruitment as well as learning outcomes, according to Chip Hunter, dean of the Carson College.

“This gift will help us continue to excel at preparing accounting students with the skills and experiences they need to land that first job,” Hunter said, “and to become leaders in the profession and in the communities they will serve.”