Demonstrating Global Accounting Perspective
Dr. Gaurav Kumar, associate professor of accounting, possesses that gift in the world of higher education and accounting: the ability to provide detailed and technical information about accounting rules and procedures, while also demonstrating how those rules relate to the larger, global accounting perspective.
Pradeep Sapkota, a UA Little Rock alumnus who co-authored a paper with Kumar submitted to the American Accounting Association, credits Kumar with helping him grasp the “broader picture” of accounting. “For example, what is so special about the double-entry bookkeeping system, where did it all start, what is its significance, and what value does it hold? Thanks to Dr. Kumar, my eyes have been opened, and I can really put things into perspective.”
Kumar mentored two graduate students who joined him in completing a manuscript accepted for presentation at this year’s American Association National meeting. He was nominated for the Mark Chair Federation of Schools of Accounting award for innovation in graduate teaching and the AICPA’s Bea Sanders Innovation in Teaching Award.
Also noteworthy, Kumar was recently recognized with the Arkansas Society of CPAs 2012 Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award, among the youngest winners of that award in the organization’s history.
“In my 30 years in academia, I have not seen a young professor achieve so much, in such a diverse scale, and in so little time as Dr. Kumar,” said Dr. Robert Oliva, UA Little Rock accounting professor and former department chair.
Kumar earned his Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Mississippi, M.S. degree in finance and control from Kurukshetra University in India, and B.S. degree in commerce with honors from Panjab University, India.