The CA / DeGroote Centre for the Promotion of Accounting Education and Research

The CA/DeGroote Centre for the Promotion of Accounting Education and Research is a joint venture by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (ICAO) and McMaster University. DeGroote’s centre is one of only seven ICAO Research Centres in the province.

The primary purpose of the centre is to encourage research, scholarly development and professional activities in the field of accounting. It promotes the development of critical thinking skills, professional judgment, ethical values and communication skills.

Some activities of the centre:

• Sponsoring accounting-related events on campus, such as guest speakers and workshops.
• Organizing professional development opportunities for students and faculty.
• Holding an annual reception to promote professional networking and to recognize student research accomplishments.
• Supporting faculty and student research through grants.
• Organizing an annual one-day research conference.

The DeGroote School of Business has had a long-standing relationship with the ICAO, working together to promote the accounting profession to students. The Honours Commerce program and the Accounting and Financial Management Services specialization of the MBA program were accredited by the ICAO in February 2010. The accreditation of the joint research centre builds on this relationship to expand DeGroote’s reputation with respect to accounting research and education, and accentuates the reputation of its accounting graduates.

Advisory Board

• Brian Leader, FCA Vice-President of Learning ICAO
• John Pryke, Partner, KPMG Hamiton
• Norman Baxter, Tax Director, Ford Credit Canada Limited
• Lilian Chan, Professor and Chair, Accounting & Financial Management
• Justin Jin, Assistant Professor, Accounting & Financial Management
• Susan McCracken, Associate Professor, Accounting & Financial Management