NASBA awards research grants

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy announced the recipients of its 2023 Accounting Education Research Grants.

The Bryant University team of Dennis Bline and Xiaochuan Zheng in Smithfield, Rhode Island, received a $6,600 grant for their proposal, "How does the slow wage growth in the accounting profession impact the CPA pipeline?" Their research will explore the relationship between wage growth in the accounting field and first-time CPA exam candidate counts.

Another recipient is the team of Charles Thomas Jr., Judd Leach and Laura Gordey of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, who received a grant of $13,800 for their study, "How industry and academic trends have affected candidates graduating from small accounting programs and how those effects have impacted the CPA pipeline." The paper will focus on Texas candidates who took the CPA exam between 2004 and 2022, examining trends in the number of exam takers and section pass rates over time, with an emphasis on how those variations impact candidates from small programs.

Led by chair Nancy J. Corrigan and members of NASBA's Education Committee, the Accounting Education Research Grants Program was created in 2011 to advance research on educational issues impacting CPAs, the public accounting profession and state boards' duty toward public interest. Since its establishment, over $200,000 has been awarded in support of academic research across the United States.

For next year's grants, post-doctoral researchers and professors have until March 8, 2024 to submit their grant proposals and possibly receive funding. The 2024 class of grant recipients will be announced next summer.