William Holder named dean of Leventhal school


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Professor William W. Holder has been named the new dean of the USC Leventhal School of Accounting.

Holder, who currently holds the Ernst and Young Professorship in Accounting, will succeed Dean Randolph Beatty on July 1. Beatty has been the dean of Leventhal since August 2001.

“I view this position as one that involves being a steward of a great school. My job is to preserve and to protect and to advance,” Holder said in a press release.

In a press statement, James Ellis, dean of the Marshall School of Business, praised Holder’s academic accomplishments and commitment to his students.

“Bill Holder exemplifies the traits of an ideal USC dean,” Ellis said. “He has attained the highest levels of distinction in teaching, in research, in leadership within his academic discipline and his university and in service to his community.”

Upon assuming his role as dean, Holder intends to revamp the school’s curriculum to more accurately reflect the evolving world of accounting.

Holder also plans to focus on faculty recruitment, while still teaching and remaining accessible to students, according to the statement.

“I love teaching,” Holder said. “It’s filled with tremendous rewards.”

Holder received both a doctorate in business administration and his master’s of accountancy from the University of Oklahoma and is a certified public accountant in both Oklahoma and California.

In 2001 and 2002 Holder was recognized by Accounting Today as one of the 100 most influential people in accounting.

He was also appointed to the Accounting Circle Professorship in Accounting in 1988 and has served as the director of the USC SEC and Financial Reporting Institute since 1994.

Ellis also acknowledged Beatty’s valuable services to the school.

“During Dean Beatty’s 10 years of leadership, the Leventhal School has continued its ascent to become a top-ranked, elite school of accounting,” Ellis said.

Leventhal’s undergraduate program is ranked No. 6 by US News & World Report and its master of business taxation degree is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Public Accounting Report.