2.01.2008 - 03:00pm ET

(CSRwire) WILTON, CT - February 1, 2008 – The Deloitte Foundation, a not-for-profit arm of Deloitte LLP, today announced the 2008 recipients of the organization's Doctoral Fellowship Program grants. Grants totaling $250,000 will be awarded to 10 doctoral students in accounting, who will join more than 900 outstanding scholars who have received financial support since the program was founded more than 50 years ago.
The 10 recipients of the Deloitte Foundation Doctoral Fellowships in Accounting for 2008 and the institutions they attend are: Elizabeth C. Chuk, University of Washington; James A. Chyz, University of Arizona; Michael J. Crawley, University of Texas – Austin; Fei Du, University of Southern California; Walied E. Keshk, University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign; Marsha K. Keune, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Yuri V. Loktionov, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Daniel J. Taylor, Stanford University; Gowoon Yu, University of Michigan; and Julie Lei Zhu, Columbia University.

"We are proud to offer financial support to these exceptional Ph.D. students at a critical juncture in their educational careers as they work to complete their doctoral degrees in accounting and to pursue careers in teaching and accounting research," said Shaun Budnik, President of the Deloitte Foundation.

Continued Budnik, "The Deloitte Foundation Doctoral Fellowships provide significant financial support during the dissertation phase, when Ph.D. students may be in the greatest financial need; awards such as these can make the difference between staying in a Ph.D. program or dropping out. Advancing opportunities for talented professionals to complete their Ph.D.s in accounting is a critical issue facing our profession, and these grants are just one of the ways the Deloitte Foundation is working to improve the pipeline of talented Ph.D. candidates to the profession."

The nationally conducted program invites applications from nearly 100 universities. The doctoral students, who were nominated by their university's accounting faculty, are among the most outstanding students pursuing a doctorate in accounting. Each of the 2008 Deloitte Foundation Doctoral Fellows will receive $5,000 during his or her final year of course work and $20,000 during the subsequent year of completing a dissertation.

The 10 recipients were chosen by a selection committee composed of three eminent accounting educators. Professors Mark DeFond of the University of Southern California, Michelle Hanlon of the University of Michigan and Jane Kennedy of the University of Washington, comprised this year's selection committee.

"The Deloitte Foundation's continuing commitment toward the education of the next generation of accounting professors has a significant impact on the profession as well as on the careers of the Ph.D. candidates that it honors," said Mark DeFond, outgoing member of the Faculty Selection Committee. "As a past recipient of a Deloitte Foundation Fellowship, I know firsthand the impact that it can have on a student, and as an educator, I continue to be grateful to the Deloitte Foundation for its appreciation and support of the needs of the Ph.D. candidate."

About the Deloitte Foundation

The Deloitte Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports teaching, research, and curriculum innovation in accounting, business, and related fields within the U.S. The Foundation, founded in 1928, supports an array of national programs, which are relevant to a variety of professional services, and which benefit undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. For more information, please visit the Deloitte Foundation web page at www.deloitte.com/us/df.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, its member firms, and their respective subsidiaries and affiliates. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is an organization of member firms around the world devoted to excellence in providing professional services and advice, focused on client service through a global strategy executed locally in over 140 countries. With access to the deep intellectual capital of approximately 150,000 people worldwide, Deloitte delivers services in four professional areas—audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services—and serves more than 80 percent of the world's largest companies, as well as large national enterprises, public institutions, locally important clients, and successful, fast-growing global companies. Services are not provided by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Verein, and, for regulatory and other reasons, certain member firms do not provide services in all four professional areas. As a Swiss Verein (association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other's acts or omissions. Each of the member firms is a separate and independent legal entity operating under the names "Deloitte," "Deloitte & Touche," "Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu," or other related names.

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