About Louise
Born in Ocean Falls, British Columbia, a pulp and paper mill town, Louise grew up in Vancouver. She has also lived in Ottawa (two years), Chicago (three years) and Toronto (two years the first time, and now for the past 25 years). She taught accounting at York University for many years. For personal reasons, she had to consider only universities within two hours driving distance from Toronto as possible locations for pursuing her dream of PhD studies. Louise is now an assistant professor at University of Guelph.
Louise answers our questions...
Who - or what - was your chief influence or motivation in wanting to obtain a PhD in accounting?
Teaching accounting at York University. Faculty there initially tried to dissuade me (given my age, they basically asked, “Are you crazy?”). But they were extremely supportive once they understood I really wanted to try my hand at research.
How did you decide to pursue your PhD dream?
I never would have thought about a PhD if I hadn’t drifted into marking/tutoring/teaching at York - a great lifestyle fit at the time. I decided that if I was going to do research I wanted to learn to do it right - an undergraduate degree and an MBA are not designed to teach research skills - and do the PhD. While I first considered a PhD many years ago, I was enjoying being a mom, and the teaching and projects I was involved in at York, too much to do the degree then. I admire families who juggle kids, spouses’ career demands and studies, but the time wasn’t right for me until 2007.
What is your professional background?
I’m a Chartered Accountant (CPA) who worked in public practice for six years. I enjoyed both my career in public accounting pre-kids and my dabbling in non-for-profit accounting when the kids were small.
How did your professional experience relate to your studies?
As an early adopter of teaching technologies at York, I applied what I had learned in public practice about how organizations might co-ordinate activities so the people/computer mix optimizes benefits and minimizes downside risks (I was a computer auditor). As a PhD student I got the chance to see if my PhD research teed up with my anecdotal experiences.
Why did you decide on School of Accounting and Finance (SAF)? What were its chief attractions or strengths?
My undergraduate degree from University of British Columbia (UBC) is in computer science. Waterloo was the place to be in those early days of computing, and I’d always wanted to be a University of Waterloo graduate. SAF was the first off the mark to offer me an interview and had a solid reputation for PhD completion. I was made to feel very welcome throughout the interview process. When I got an offer, I immediately withdrew my applications to other schools.
Did you have a clear idea of what you would research/write a dissertation on when you entered the program?
I knew I was interested in accounting information systems and internal control (I’d been a computer auditor pre-kids), but I didn’t know what that meant in terms of research. After two years of course work and comprehensive exams, I started to develop an idea.
Watch Louise give a 3 minute presentation on her thesis.
What were the highlights of your program?
Preparing for and attending seminars and conferences. It’s such a luxury to be expected to read challenging materials and to be immersed in contemplating and discussing new ideas. The time my fellow PhD students and SAF faculty invested in these activities was amazing, and it made every minute I invested worthwhile. I was very fortunate and attended several conferences. They’re like seminars on steroids! The European Accounting Association event in Istanbul in May 2010 was incredible - not only because of the location (I did take advantage of being there) but because of the diversity of the research presented. Wow!
How did your family feel about your pursuing a PhD?
My husband and three sons (now 28, 26 and 21) were, and continue to be, super supportive. I’ve often said it’s really more like they were glad ‘mom’ found something to do so they didn’t have to worry about me suffering empty-nest syndrome (or taking up home decorating, where my tastes may differ from those of four men!).
What are your main outside-the-office interests?
These have been pretty much limited to family interests (gatherings for birthdays, holidays, and weekends at the cottage, renting the odd movie) since I began the PhD program. I still managed to sneak in a little windsurfing and travelling. Before starting the program I volunteered with the Toronto Windsurfing Club and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
If you have a word of wisdom for prospective applicants to the PhD program, what might it be?
If you are insatiably curious about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions of accounting, but notice other people’s eyes glaze over when you discuss these questions at any length, go for the PhD. You won’t notice the hard work and long hours (much) after the first semester! Each passing semester prepares you better to explore the questions that interest you.