Eberhardt School of Business News

(November 17, 2008) -

Chuck Williams, who served as dean from 2006-2008, has returned to his home state of Indiana this past summer to become dean of the Butler University College of Business. After 27 years of acquiring wonderful friends in Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and California, Williams felt it was time to return to his roots, where most of his family resides.

“The Eberhardt School made great strides in the last two years thanks to the wonderful support of alumni and surrounding businesses,” said Williams. “Thank you for the opportunity to serve as dean.”

Ray Sylvester served as acting dean until Richard Flaherty was appointed to a two-year term. Flaherty retired in 2007 as dean and professor of accounting from the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) prior to joining Pacific in September.

“Dr. Flaherty brings a lot of experience to the Business School and Pacific and will be a great addition to our University,” said Provost Phil Gilbertson. “His expertise in financial accounting theory and his experience in both academia and private enterprise will help further position Eberhardt as one of the most respected business schools in the West.”

Before UNLV, Flaherty was a faculty member at Arizona State University for 21 years and served as director of the School of Accountancy for five of those years. At Arizona State, he was inducted into the Faculty Hall of Fame. He also taught at Oklahoma State University (1970-1973) and the University of Illinois (1975-1978).

Flaherty has served in many roles for AACSB International–the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is the international accrediting organization for business schools. He has been chair of the Accounting Accreditation Committee, chair of the Peer Review Improvement Task Force, chair of the Learning Outcomes Assessment Task Force, chair of the Finance and Investments Committee, and vice-chair of the Accreditation Quality Committee. He has also served as a member of the Accreditation Coordinating Committee and of the AACSB International Deans Conference Advisory Committee. He recently completed a three-year term on the Board of Directors of AACSB International and served as president of the Western Association of Collegiate Schools of Business.

A Kansas native, he received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Kansas. He has consulted with numerous businesses and taught in numerous professional development programs. He has published articles on financial accounting theory and practice in several journals. In addition, he co-authored six editions of an intermediate accounting textbook.

He recently completed a term as president of the Nevada chapter of Financial Executives International, has been a member of the Las Vegas Executives Association, and is on the board of directors of Nichols Consulting Engineers, Chtd. He was a board member of the Las Vegas Music Festival, the Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies, the Henderson Business Resource Center, and the Community Advisory Board of Nevada Public Radio (KNPR). He has been a frequent speaker for civic and professional organizations in Las Vegas.

“The Eberhardt School is rich in faculty excellence, develops quality graduates, and has good alumni support,” said Dean Richard Flaherty, who believes there is much to accomplish in the next two years. “I am excited to build on the momentum of the Eberhardt School, where I can provide strategic leadership for the years ahead,” said Flaherty.

Flaherty is a member of numerous organizations, including the American Accounting Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Beta Alpha Psi, and Beta Gamma Sigma. He is married and has two daughters and two grandsons. The Eberhardt School will announce its new mission in the Spring issue of Strictly Business, where Dean Flaherty will share more on his vision of the future of the Eberhardt School.

 Strictly Business Fall 2008 Issue