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KU professor combines taxes, service learning for award-winning teaching method

School of Business professor and Director for KU Center for Service Learning presented with Award.

Friday, September 12, 2008

School of Business tax professor and Director for KU Center for Service Learning presented with Deloitte Foundation and ATA 2008 Teaching Award

LAWRENCE - At the University of Kansas, students learn about taxes by serving the larger community. KU School of Business professor Raquel Alexander used this concept to develop an award-winning class she developed with Director for KU Center for Service Learning Andi Witczak. The methods Alexander uses to teach her graduate Accounting 731 class earned the 2008 Deloitte Foundation and American Taxation Association (ATA) Teaching Award at a conference in Anaheim, Ca.

The $5,000 annual award from Deloitte and ATA encourages tax professors to develop new teaching methods that stimulate students' critical thinking skills and enhance the learning experience.

"Our students select a career in tax because they want to help others navigate through a complicated area of law," Alexander said. "Providing our students with the opportunity to learn while helping their community has been an incredible honor. Being recognized for this with a national award is icing on the cake."

Alexander and Witczak's teaching method formally incorporates service learning class projects as part of a tax curriculum, motivating students by applying classroom lessons to the outside world.

"Service learning fosters better understanding of classroom material, and I believe, can drive positive change in the world," Witczak said. "A well-structured service learning experience, such as the one in Professor Alexander's course, offers students the opportunity to foster sensemaking in unpredictable environments."

Alexander has incorporated service learning into her tax classes for a number of years. Her Master of Accounting students have taught financial and tax literacy to community members and drafted proposed federal legislation to provide tax credits for disabled veterans attending college. Her first project combining community service with tax coursework culminated in a student-created Web site that simplified new tax laws for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"It was a great opportunity for the students to read the tax code, to understand the new law, and then present it in a way that all taxpayers could comprehend," Alexander said. "It was such a worthwhile project and a true testament to our students' devotion."

The primary objective of the 2008 Teaching Innovation Award is to encourage creativity and experimentation with new and unusual ideas. Alexandar and Witczak's related teaching materials will be distributed to faculty members across the nation who are members of the ATA.

"Through the ATA Teaching Innovation Award, we acknowledge the efforts and importance that these innovations are bringing to the future talent of the accounting profession," said Shaun Budnik, president of the Deloitte Foundation and partner, Deloitte LLP. "We extend our appreciation to Alexander & Witczak for sharing with their colleagues in the academic community and the tax profession."

About the Deloitte Foundation

The Deloitte Foundation is the not-for-profit arm of Deloitte LLP, one of the largest professional firms for audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services in the world. The Foundation supports teaching, research, and curriculum innovation in accounting, business, and related fields within the U.S. For more information, please visit the Deloitte Foundation web page at www.deloitte.com/us/df.

About the American Tax Association

The American Taxation Association (ATA) was founded in 1974 to promote tax education, research and programs and encourage the interaction of academics with tax professionals.