Professing Philanthropy: Giving Back Through Teaching at CSUB

By L. Richard Walton

In 1762, French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau said of education: “Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education … We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.”

We believe in education—and we should. Education has given us our profession, our livelihood and the pride of possessing a skill set of value to others. Each of us remembers the relief and pride when we passed the CPA Exam, and we had the right to feel both. The exam is harder, in my opinion, than the bar exam. We each passed because dedicated professors took the time to teach us the material we needed to know.

Remember your favorite professors and the way they presented the material so you still remember it? Ever want to be that person?

Now you can! CalCPA and CSUB have worked together to provide an opportunity for chapter members to serve as adjunct faculty in CSUB’s business program. Opportunities are available for everything from a guest lecture to teaching an existing class to creating and teaching a new class.

Having taught on three different campuses, I can tell you this is a rare opportunity to do something extraordinary. Teaching has always given back far more than what I’ve invested in it. Of everything I have ever done, I enjoy my teaching the most. It is with great pleasure—and gratitude to past president Joel Bock, whose efforts made this possible—that I extend to each of you the opportunity and challenge of molding the minds of accounting students and shaping the future of your profession. There is no higher calling, and few as rewarding personally and professionally.

For those of you unsure about the time and commitment involved, contact me. I am glad to speak with you and discuss the range of options available to suit your time availability and areas of interest.

Please send an e-mail to myself or Joel if you are interested.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 12:24 pm and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.