Professor Denise Jones Receives McGlothlin Award for Exceptional Teaching

Last month, Professor Denise A. Jones was honored with the McGlothlin Award for Exceptional Teaching. When asked for her response, she put it simply, “I am thrilled! It’s a fantastic honor to receive the award!” This annual award acknowledges two faculty members each year, one from the Raymond A. Mason School of Business and one from William & Mary’s Law School, who are dedicated to excellence in teaching. Created in 2016 by James W. McGlothlin ’62, J.D. ’64, LL.D. ’00 and Frances Gibson McGlothlin ’66, this renowned award is bestowed upon faculty committed to teaching and their students.

Dr. Denise Jones currently teaches courses on international accounting and valuation and fair value accounting. Over the years, she has taught courses on numerous accounting topics, including financial statement analysis, financial statement modeling, intermediate financial reporting, advanced financial reporting topics, advanced auditing, and principles of financial and managerial accounting. She regularly incorporates her knowledge and experiences from outside the classroom and works to prepare her students for the future. Says Jones, “I look at the accounting field, and ask: ‘where do I see changes happening that aren’t in today’s textbook?’ It’s setting students up so that when they go to work, their employers are really impressed by how they’re thinking about how the field is evolving.”

Jones has won numerous teaching awards, including the Alfred N. Page Award in 2003, 2011, and 2016, the Faculty Excellence Award in 2006, 2010, and 2013, the Geary Faculty Fellowship in 2010, the Cabell Fellowship in 2015, and the Outstanding Professor Award in 2003.

Dr. Jones has authored a number of articles in Contemporary Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, and Journal of Management Accounting Research.

Her research focuses on voluntary disclosure and the role of accounting information in firm valuation. She is currently working on several projects, including a study on how analysts and other investors deal with the disruption in trends that occur around mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, Jones has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Accounting Department Chair, Director of Accounting Programs, Member of the Personnel Committee, and Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee.

Dr. Jones is committed to preparing the next generation of business professionals. In the past, she has served as Advisor for the Goodman Accounting Challenge, Advisor for Master of Accounting students, and Advisor for Undergraduate Accounting students. She wants students to “be thinking about what they’re getting out of their classes and how these classes are going to set them up for the future.” Jones believes that encouraging this forward-thinking attitude will help both professors to be more effective and students to make the most of their college and professional careers.