Students will receive awards in the name of Paul W. Parkison, the Alumni Distinguished Professor of Accounting and chairman of the Department of Accounting.

The awards are funded by gifts from the many alumni Parkison mentored and taught in his 35 years as a Ball State faculty member.

Gifts of under $25,000 will combine to endow the Paul W. Parkison Scholarship. Gifts of $25,000 and more will create individual scholarships in the name of the contributor in honor of Parkison.

Parkison began his long career at Ball State as a freshman in 1954, earning two degrees at the university and returning to teach after earning a doctorate in business administration at Indiana University.

With his leadership, Ball State's accounting department has become one of the most respected in the state. It is one of only two accounting programs in Indiana with separate accounting accreditation from AACSB, the International Association for Management Education.

Parkison was honored as the first College of Business professor of the year in 1970. He recently received the Indiana CPA Society Distinguished Service Award, a recognition of his lifetime achievement in the field.

Anyone interested in creating a scholarship or contributing to the funds should call Hudson Akin in the Office of University Development at (765) 285-8261.