David L. Rice Story

As chair of the Income and Family Tax Committee of the American Bar Association, Assistant Accounting Professor David L. Rice speaks regularly to accountants and attorneys throughout the country on emerging issues in taxation and is a regular commentator for the Wall Street Journal. His latest venture is the Tax Institute, an annual event co-sponsored by the Accounting Department that helps professionals keep pace with the ever-changing rules and laws in their profession. Recently, Rice sat down with Public Affairs Officer Marisa Demers to talk about the institute.

Why did you create the Tax Institute?

Rice: The College of Business Administration is an important institution in the Inland Empire and we can be a valuable resource for all practicing accountants, especially when it comes to helping with their continuing education. For those who may be unaware, we have a very ambitious tax program. Since I was hired a couple of years ago, we’ve increased the number of tax courses being offered and Cal Poly Pomona will now have one of the strongest tax programs in the Cal State University system.

Give us an overview of the Tax Institute.

Rice: There are a number of tax institutes throughout the country but ours is geared primarily toward small- to mid-sized tax practitioners. We want to help them fulfill their continuing education requirements and to bring them up to date with the various tax law changes. We will have panel discussions dealing with recent changes in income tax and estate tax laws, as well as offering insight into IRS policies and practical tips for practitioners.  This year our panel discussions will cover everything from how to win an audit to the reclassification of workers.  In addition, this year we are fortunate to have Kip Dellinger as our keynote speaker. Kip is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and serves on committees dealing with quality control and rules on proper conduct.

How will students accounting students benefit from the Tax Institute?

Rice: The institute has been designed to encourage students to donate a couple of hours of their time in exchange for being able to sit in on some of the panel discussions and network with practitioners.  Hopefully the networking will lead to jobs for these students down the road.

Cal Poly Pomona’s philosophy has always been learn-by-doing and what better method is there than to expose students to practitioners who “do.”  We are enabling both students and practitioners to understand how to take the theoretical and make it practical.

How do you want this institute to grow and evolve?

Rice: We have organized an advisory committee to help the institute in the coming years. The advisory committee will consist of some of our professors and local practitioners. I have personally met with accounting firms throughout the Inland Empire and Orange County with the hope that they will become a part of our committee. I hope by doing this, practitioners will become much more involved with the university and our students.

I’m fortunate that I have been the chair of most of the state bar tax committees including the income tax and tax procedure and litigation committees. I am also currently chair of the American Bar Association's Income and Family Tax Section. I certainly have the knowledge to bring in speakers who are well versed in their fields and I strongly believe we can bring recognition to the university and let aspiring tax practitioners know that they should come here to receive their continuing education credits.

2011-10-12