News Releases

USM School of Business and Berry, Dunn Create Partnership to Promote Education and Business Opportunities

February 16, 2006

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker and the USM School of Business have created a position to further develop partnerships that support the educational needs of students and business professionals.

The position, known as the Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker Distinguished Fellow of Accounting and Taxation, is to be held by a senior faculty member in the USM School of Business who has a demonstrated record of high-quality teaching. Criteria include evidence of leadership in the field and involvement with practitioners in the discipline.

USM Professor of Accounting George R. Violette of Portland has been named the first Distinguished Fellow.

Violette, who joined the USM faculty in 1988, said that the position will provide professional development and research opportunities, as well learning opportunities for students. Specific functions are being finalized but could include team teaching; student team problem solving; and internships. "I see myself doing work that benefits the firm while providing substantive learning opportunities for our students and me," said Violette.

"We've long appreciated the economic and cultural benefits of doing business in a region served by the University of Southern Maine," said John M. Chandler, president and managing principal of Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker. "We've also benefited from recruiting interns and graduates from the USM School of Business. This partnership is a way to more formally leverage the resources of the University and our firm so that it provides benefits to both students and practitioners. We're very pleased and proud to be able to provide support for something this important."

Chandler, a graduate of the USM School of Business, added that the firm also has a long history of working with USM. One of the firm's founders, the late Burch Dunn, took a lead role in establishment of the USM Corporate Partners, a group formed in 1989 to develop and support partnerships between USM and the business community.

"This is the type of position that will help us achieve our mission of education, scholarship and service, all in partnership with our business community," said John J. Voyer, interim dean of the USM School of Business. "George (Violette) brings a number of attributes to the position, including strong leadership in the field and a solid track record of involvement with accounting professionals."

Violette, past president of the Maine Society of CPA's, is a founder and the first director of USM's graduate program in accounting. The program was established to meet the increased demand for accountants and the new state policy that requires students to attain 150 credit hours before taking the CPA exam. He is the recipient of university awards for teaching excellence. His studies and articles, a few of which are based on research conducted at Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker and other firms, have been published in such journals as Behavioral Research in Accounting, The Journal of the American Taxation Association, and The CPA Journal.

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker is the largest certified public accounting and management consulting firm in northern New England. Founded in 1974, Berry Dunn has approximately 175 employees in three offices in Maine and New Hampshire providing business clients with a wide range of attest, tax, information technology and consulting services.

The USM School of Business is the only business school in southern Maine accredited by AACSB International. Business schools worldwide seek professional accreditation by AACSB International, but only one third of all institutions have achieved it.

Editor's Note: For more information, please contact Bob Caswell, USM's executive director of public affairs, at 780-4200, caswell@usm.maine.edu, or Cheryl Bascomb, director of marketing, Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, at 207-541-2233, cbascomb@bdmp.com.

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