John J. Maher, professor of accounting and information systems in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, was appointed the John F. Carroll Jr. Professor of Accounting and Information Systems by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors during the board's quarterly meeting Nov. 12.

The John F. Carroll Jr. Professorship was established in 2002 to support accounting education at Virginia Tech.

Maher joined Virginia Tech as an assistant professor in 1985. He teaches courses in accounting information systems and a doctoral seminar in capital markets, and directs the department’s doctoral program.

Maher, who is the L. Mahlon Harrell Research Fellow in the department, specializes in capital markets and accounting information, and information systems in accounting. His current research interests involve decision modeling related to accounting and auditing, with particular emphasis on debt markets. In previous research projects, he has investigated the effects of non-audit service fees on perceived audit quality and the effects of industry expertise on earnings quality.

He has also examined the proper measurement, valuation, and reporting for ill-defined corporate liabilities such as defined benefit pensions, medial benefits for retirees, and environmental obligations. His work has been published in such leading journals as The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, and Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting.

Maher has received several teaching awards and has worked as an accountant and an internal auditor. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Scranton and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.

Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of ethical values and leadership, technology, and international business skills. A member of its marketing faculty directs the interdisciplinary Sloan Foundation Forest Industries Center at Virginia Tech. The college’s other centers focus on business leadership, business diversity, electronic commerce, organizational performance, and services innovation. The college, committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students, is named in honor of Robert B. Pamplin (Class of 1933), the former CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and his son, businessman and philanthropist Robert B. Pamplin Jr. (Class of 1964). Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

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