New scholarship at Champlain College celebrates 200 years of teaching by Accounting faculty

On the evening of Tuesday, May 8, Champlain College announced the launch of an Accounting Excellence Scholarship Fund. The new endowment fund celebrates decades of teaching excellence by Champlains distinguished Accounting faculty.
The fund will annually support two Accounting students who demonstrate both academic merit and financial need. Alumni and community members have rallied in support of the fund, placing it well on its way to raising an initial goal of $100,000 for the permanent endowment.
Nearly 2,000 of Champlain's Accounting graduates have benefited from the experience and mentoring of the Colleges seven current Accounting faculty who have recently surpassed a combined total of 200 years of service: Walt Luchini (39 years), Champ Soncrant (36 years), Eadie Templin (31 years), Thane Butt (26 years), Mitch Thibault (26 years), Nancy Wells (24 years) and David Mona (22 years). Their impact is noticeable when you walk into Vermont accounting firms, captive insurance firms and a variety of business organizations and take note of the saturation of Champlain Accounting graduates.
"This scholarship extends the legacy of these Accounting faculty members in perpetuity," said Champlain College President David F. Finney. "These individuals help define the caliber of the education for which Champlain is renowned: a student-centered experience made relevant by the real-world lessons of their professors."
At the event, President Finney announced that former Champlain Trustee Larry Walsh and his spouse Connie Walsh--both 1966 graduates of the College--have made a challenge gift for the scholarship fund. They will match up to $10,000 for gifts received in May. Larry Walsh has known Accounting professors Walt Luchini and Mitch Thibault since their grade school days in Burlington.
Molly Lambert, president of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association, spoke at the Accounting Excellence event, as did Dr. Wayne Cunningham, the dean of Champlains Division of Business.
Accounting is a rapidly growing field in today's economy, and each year Champlain's Accounting students are wooed by the regions businesses and firms. Students typically land a job by December of their senior year--some deciding between two and three offers.
The College keeps its Accounting curriculum up to date by modifying and adding courses most relevant to the times. For example, a popular new course has been Forensic Accounting, where students learn fraud examination techniques, interview techniques, rules of evidence relating to internal control methodology, asset misappropriation and financial statement misrepresentation. Students explore rules of evidence as they relate to several different fraudulent activities including money laundering, cash skimming and embezzlement.
Visit www.champlain.edu/portals/alumni/ for more information on the faculty members and the Accounting Excellence Scholarship Fund.