AUSTIN, Texas — The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) announced Michael Granof, professor at The University of Texas at Austin, as the recipient of the 2017 AICPA Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award. Granof holds a joint appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the McCombs School of Business as the University Distinguished Teaching Professor and the Ernst & Young Distinguished Centennial Professor in Accounting, respectively.

The award, presented annually since 1985, recognizes full-time college accounting educators distinguished for excellence in teaching and for national prominence in the accounting profession. The award has a dual function: to extend profession-wide recognition and promote role models in academia. Granof was honored this week at the annual meeting of the American Accounting Association (AAA) in San Diego.

“I am especially pleased to receive this award because it acknowledges the importance of the activities to which I have devoted my professional career,” Granof said. “The best part of being a university professor, especially at The University of Texas, is that it has enabled me to get to meet and work with some of the brightest – and nicest – people in the world. Further, since our students never age, neither do I.”

“Michael has had an incredible career as an educator and he continues to set an example in the classroom, through his service within McCombs and the university, and nationally at the GASB, FASAB and more,” said Jay Hartzell, dean of the McCombs School of Business. “Michael brings further distinction to this award and the AICPA, while serving as a role model for academics worldwide. I cannot imagine a more deserving person for this award.”

Granof’s contributions to public education extend beyond the classroom. He has played an active role in professional standard-setting and university governance, published countless professional articles, opinion pieces, textbooks, and co-authored one of the leading texts in the field, “Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting: Concepts and Practices.” Granof is also the only academic to have served concurrently on both the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB).

“The contributions that Professor Granof has made as an educator and author have benefitted the accounting profession immensely. He is truly deserving of this award,” said Steve Matzke, AICPA director of faculty and university initiatives.

“Dr. Granof is extraordinarily dedicated to his students, to challenging their thinking and to nurturing their creativity and inquisitiveness,” said Angela Evans, dean of the LBJ School. “In addition, Dr. Granof’s scholarly accomplishments in government and financial accounting, his pioneering work in management in the public sector, and his interdisciplinary talent as a teacher have added greatly to the education experience and preparation of our students. I value Dr. Granof’s counsel and advice and his dedication to the LBJ School.”