Earlham College hires experienced educator, CPA to lead launch of accounting major

Ryan Hudgins, a skilled educator and accomplished certified public accountant (CPA), has been hired to lead the launch of Earlham College’s accounting major.

Hudgins joined Earlham this summer as an assistant professor and coordinator of the accounting major. The first cohort of accounting students arrives on campus in the fall.

The new major, which is part of Earlham’s expanded business program, is designed to provide a pathway to becoming a CPA and to prepare students to thrive in a wide variety of future career opportunities, whether that be a fraud investigator for the Internal Revenue Service or the chief financial officer of a social enterprise.

“I’m really excited about joining Earlham and building a distinctive accounting major informed by the liberal arts,” Hudgins said. “Earlham’s program combines the specialized expertise and skills students need to be successful professionals with a focus on the social and ethical side of accounting, including sustainability reporting; diversity, equity and inclusion; and social impact.”

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Hudgins was previously an assistant professor in managerial accounting and control at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. A certified public accountant for five years before becoming a college professor, Hudgins has also worked for some of Ohio’s oldest and largest accounting firms.

“Ryan is the perfect candidate to lead us in the launch of our new accounting program,” said Rick Stephens, Earlham’s interim provost and vice president of academic affairs. “Not only is Ryan an outstanding educator with a passion for teaching in the tradition of the liberal arts, his experience as a CPA will help our students prepare for their future pursuits with precision and focus.”

Hudgins earned his Ph.D. in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed Ph.D. coursework in literary criticism and continental philosophy from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has two master’s degrees: a master of science in social and applied economics from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a master of accounting from Ohio State University; and two bachelor’s degrees: a bachelor of arts in English from Wright State, and a bachelor of science in business administration from Ohio State.

“Most of my current research interests are rooted in moral philosophy, including the relation between performance measurement and punishment in organizations,” Hudgins said. “I’m really interested in leveraging my knowledge in accounting and my passion for the humanities to engage with Earlham students in the kind of deep discussion that you can find in a liberal arts classroom.”