USC Marshall School of Business

When I joined the USC faculty in 1987, Andy Mosich invited me out to dinner. He is an elegant man who knows the best chefs in the city, and he always took new faculty members to dine at a fine restaurant. I was just out of grad school and remember clearly arriving at his office. My hair was longer than most business people; I had a beard; I don't think I was wearing jeans, but I know I didn't have on a tie. Andy looked at me and said, "I guess we'll tell the owner that you're one of my musician friends."

Twenty-three years later, I'm honored to have been named to the A. N. Mosich Chair in Accounting at the USC Leventhal School of Accounting. It's a particular thrill for me because of my admiration for Andy. He is a tremendously generous man, brilliant accounting professor and author, and a man of strong values and ethics.

Accounting matters. It's a powerful tool for understanding how business works and grasping its limitations and strengths. Teaching accounting matters. Businesses are constantly evaluated on accounting information. It's how people look at your company, how they value its projects and prospects. Business leaders are under extreme stress to perform, and this pressure is how many people got into trouble in the recent accounting scandals. It's crucial to instill in students a sense of good judgment about right and wrong.

I believe the Leventhal School of Accounting may be the best in the country at preparing our students for their important societal role. The vast majority of our students go to work for large accounting firms that are really the watchdogs for the business world. Giving them a strong moral compass and proper training and technical expertise is essential to America's economic well-being and to their success. That's why I'm proud to hold the A. N. Mosich Chair, and I'm proud to support the Leventhal School.

Please join me in ensuring that the Leventhal School has the resources to continue to hire the finest faculty; brilliant teachers like Andy Mosich, who know how to be absolutely honest -- and when it's okay to say the man you're with is a musician.

Fight On!
Mark DeFond, PhD
A.N. Mosich Chair in Accounting
USC Leventhal School of Accounting