Professor Charles H. Smith is the 2005 recipient of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award. The award recognizes full-time college accounting educators for excellence in teaching and national prominence in the accounting profession. Professor Smith received his award at the Spring meeting of the Institute''s governing Council in Washington, DC.


Professor Smith is the current KPMG Professor of Accounting at Penn State University. He joined the University in 1987 as a member of the faculty of the Smeal College of Business Administration. He served as Chair of the Accounting and MIS Department from 1987-1991, and as Chair of the Accounting Department from 1991- 2000.

Published in many American and foreign journals, Professor Smith has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching, including the Fred Brand Jr. Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award from the Smeal College, the Lester J. Shonto Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Accounting Education, and the 2004 Outstanding Educator award from the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs (PICPA). He is active in several organizations, serving as a mentor to students.

Professor Smith has served on the AICPA''s 150-Hour Program Committee and the Commodity Futures Subcommittee. He has also served on PICPA''s Committee on the 150 Semester Hours Requirement, the Substantial Equivalency Task Force, and the Governance and Strategic Direction Task Force.

"Throughout his academic career, Charles Smith has emphasized the importance of all three dimensions of university education - teaching, research and service," said AICPA Chair Robert Bunting in presenting the award. "Over the years, his work has influenced a broad spectrum of accounting professionals."

Professor Smith, a native of South Africa, received his Bachelor''s degree from the University of Cape Town and his Master''s and doctorate from Penn State. He obtained his CPA certification from Texas and CA from South Africa.