Lane named Director, AUM School of Accountancy

New Director for AUM School of Accountancy

Scott Lane, the new Director of the School of Accountancy and Associate Professor of accounting at AUM, hopes his experience as a CPA, a corporate controller, and as a faculty member will help him bring AUM’s School of Accountancy the recognition it deserves.

 “The accounting program here is a hidden gem; small class sizes, dedicated faculty, active alumni and involved local firms, all the things that you need to build a learning community.” Lane’s goal is to build on the School of Accountancy’s strengths by increasing opportunities such as internships, student competitions, conferences, and other experiential learning opportunities that will prepare students for their careers. “Increasing student contact with alumni and employers is a win for everyone and provides the students with the level of professionalism they need to hit the ground running in their careers” says Lane, who comes to AUM from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

Lane earned a PhD in accounting from The University of Kentucky. His research has been focused on performance measurement and has been published in scholarly journals such as Management Decision, The Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Issues in Accounting Education, Strategy and Leadership, and Measuring Business Excellence, among others. His most recent paper is focused on the use of the Balanced Scorecard, a popular strategic management tool, in small to medium sized organizations.

Lane worked in public accounting in the Boston area, first as a controller in a startup, and then as the controller in an international energy consulting company. This last job partly led to his move to the University of Kentucky, as he was fascinated by the research studies being conducted by consultants at his firm. 

Lane says he’s excited about the opportunity at AUM. “I was a kid who was first generation to college and I know that I benefitted greatly from my experiences at my smaller state school, and from interactions with faculty who knew who I was. I like to think that I am here to pay that forward,” said Lane.

AUM was attractive to him because of the quality of the faculty, he said. “AUM was already doing interesting things, from the Alabama governmental accounting certification program, the State Initiative program, the AACSB separate accreditation earned by the School of Accountancy, and most recently, the newly acquired MAcc program. The faculty here are collegial and share research interests, practical expertise, and a passion for teaching that was very compelling to me—to be able to work with this group,” he says.

Originally from Massachusetts, Professor Lane and his wife Kathy are looking forward to life in Alabama —the Alabama summers being a trade-off for no more New England winters. “I’ve lived in Texas and my wife and I lived in Kentucky, so we are not completely unfamiliar with the south. We are looking forward to the adventure. Alabama has its perks—less expensive housing, lower taxes, southern hospitality, and barbeque.” he says. “We are looking forward to exploring the state.”