All Things Newsworthy in Accounting, since 1985

1985 was a banner year for the Accounting Department at Seattle University. Professor David Tinius held the position of National President for Beta Alpha Psi. The student organization was recognized again as being a Superior chapter nationally. And the Accounting major was the biggest single major at Seattle University.

Against this backdrop, Professor Emeritus Bill Weis started The Seattle University Accountant, the department's first publication.

"I started it as part of my public relations function as department chair, and as a vehicle for boosting donations to the Accounting Associates Fund," Weis recalled. "We published it yearly. We started a second annual publication focused mainly on alumni exploits and whereabouts, which we called Subsequent Events (which means something in accounting language, specifically a reporting requirement to disclose information or events since the end of the reporting period which could have an impact on interpreting a company's financial statements)".

"I think we published two annual editions of Subsequent Events before we gave it up as just too much work to put out two annual glossy magazines."

The first "editor" for The SU Accountant was an undergraduate student named Maddie O'Rourke, Weis said, as she was quite skilled with the Apple software for publishing that was current then and was able to assemble the articles and pictures for printing. O'Rourke now resides in West Seattle.

The publication, along with some big receptions held for alumni—like at the top of the Smith Tower and at the Stimson Green Mansion—made a huge impact on the Accounting department's visibility and its program growth at the time. Donations to the Accounting Associates Fund surged five-fold in one year, Weis said, "from like $12,000 to $60,000".  

Weis' half-time administrative assistant was also very instrumental in getting the publication started. Mary Sherhart also lives in the area and is one of the legends in Bulgarian women's choirs and folklore. "She was very talented," Weis said, "and along with Maddie O'Rourke, they gave me the capacity to make the publication happen."

The Accountant now lives online in its current incarnation, a quarterly web newsletter distributed via email to Albers Accounting alumni.