AMES, Iowa -- Susan P. Ravenscroft, who was the recipient of the Excellence in Research Award at ISU in 2000 and was one of the researchers from the College of Business who collaborated on a highly publicized study about why college students cheat, has been named the first Roger P. Murphy Professor of Accounting at Iowa State University. Ravenscroft will officially receive her appointment during a private ceremony in November.
Ravenscroft joined the Iowa State faculty in 1998 after teaching at Eastern Michigan University for 10 years. Her research -- which primarily focuses on incentives, accounting education and managerial accounting -- has been published in such publications as The Accounting Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Behavioral Research in Accounting, Advances in Management Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education, and Journal of Accounting Education. Additionally, she has presented numerous papers at national and regional meetings, and also spoken about business ethics and service learning at national accounting meetings.
Ravenscroft collaborated with Jeffrey Kaufmann, an assistant professor of management; Brad Shrader, professor of management; and former Iowa State professor Tim West -- now at the University of Arkansas -- in a study on the behavior of nearly 50 students from another Midwestern university who had cheated on a take-home exam. They co-authored a paper titled "Ethical Distancing: Rationalizing Violations of Organizational Norms," which appeared in the Business and Professional Ethics Journal.
Currently editor for Issues in Accounting Education, Ravenscroft also serves on the editorial boards of Behavioral Research in Accounting and Advances in Public Interest Accounting. She worked as a Certified Public Accountant for Peat Marwick Mitchell -- now organized as KPMG -- in Michigan before earning her doctoral degree.
"Roger Murphy was a very popular teacher and I feel honored to step into his shoes and teach governmental and non-profit accounting," said Ravenscroft. "What I've chosen to focus on with this endowed professorship is developing communication skills and working to help the college and department develop that kind of skill-building in the curriculum."
Ravenscroft earned her bachelor's degree from Wayne State University, her MBA from the University of Detroit, and her doctorate from Michigan State University.
About Roger Murphy
Roger Murphy, an associate professor emeritus of accounting at Iowa State, established the endowed teaching professorship in accounting in his name in 1994 with a $300,000 deferred commitment, and has since added more than $800,000 in additional gifts through his estate. These additional gifts as well as continuing support from other donors will have the effect of converting the professorship to the Roger P. Murphy Chair of Accounting. The professorship is being given as a result of the more than 100 donors -- most of them Murphy's former students -- who have supported this fund through their cash gifts.
"The emphasis of this gift is on undergraduate teaching as opposed to research," said Murphy. "The professorship is designed to attract and support an outstanding undergraduate educator in accounting for the College of Business."
Murphy joined the College of Business faculty in 1969. He was nominated for college's Outstanding Teacher Award 12 times. He received the Outstanding Teacher Award twice. He also received the college's Outstanding Advisor Award. He received the ISU Alumni Association Faculty Citation in 1996, and was the Business Council October Teacher of the Month in 1999. He retired in 2002.
A resident of Ames who is still a practicing CPA, Murphy's research interests have been not-for-profit and governmental accounting. He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Colorado State University. He currently serves as the investigative consultant to the Iowa Accountancy Examining Board.
"Roger is a special person to so many of our faculty and former students," said Labh Hira, dean of the College of Business. "We thank him for his generous gift. It is only fitting that a fine professor like Sue Ravenscroft be chosen as the first recipient of the Roger P. Murphy Professor of Accounting."
About the Iowa State Foundation
The Murphy commitment was made through the Iowa State University Foundation, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to securing and managing private gift support for Iowa State University.
Endowed faculty positions allow Iowa State to recruit and retain world-class leaders by providing the highest level of faculty recognition. Endowed positions help support course development, graduate assistants, laboratory equipment, salary enhancements, professional development and research projects. These opportunities ultimately enhance course and curriculum development, which improves the educational experience for students.
