UPDATE | Faculty and Staff News

Put Me in, Coach

Wisconsin is known for producing outstanding coaches—Vince Lombardi, for one, comes to mind. But away from the gridiron, a coach of a different kind also is chalking up a remarkable record.

Professor of Accounting Jon Davis has coached a series of student teams that have succeeded on the national level in accounting case competitions.

Most recently, Davis coached a team that made it to the national finals of the Deloitte Tax Case Competition held in Orlando in November, one of only six teams in the undergraduate division to make the finals. In February, Davis coached a different team that won first place in the nation in the PricewaterhouseCoopers xTAX Competition. It was the second time in three years a team of Wisconsin accounting students won the competition. Wisconsin also was a national finalist several times in the Deloitte competition in recent years.

Davis is quick to credit the hard work of the students themselves and the strong tradition of the accounting program of the School of Business for Wisconsin’s strong showing in competitions over the years. “It really is the students, not me, who are responsible for this success,” said Davis. “Senior Lecturer Al Talarczyk, who helps coach the xTAX teams, plays a big role.”

Professor John Eichenseher, who chairs the Department of Accounting and Information System, says having dedicated faculty is key to Wisconsin’s success. “They are willing to mentor students and put in significant amounts of time helping them prepare for these competitions,” Eichenseher said. “They coach these teams in addition to teaching and research responsibilities. We’re very lucky to have them.”