5/31/05 Contact: David M. Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)
Dina Kanellos, 334/844-2203 (kaneldi@auburn.edu)

AU'S MCLELLAND NAMED ACADEMIC ACCOUNTING FELLOW FOR SEC DIVISION OF CORPORATION FINANCE

AUBURN – The Securities and Exchange Commission has named Andy McLelland, an assistant professor of accounting in Auburn University’s College of Business, an Academic Accounting Fellow for a one-year term beginning August 2005.

While at the Commission, McLelland will address issues involving difficult and unusual accounting, auditing and financial reporting questions; review filings by public companies to identify significant accounting and disclosure problems; and participate in research projects pertaining to current financial reporting issues.

McLelland has been at Auburn since 2002. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s in business administration from Florida State University and a doctorate from Texas A&M University. He is a certified public accountant as well as a certified management accountant.

McLelland started his accounting career as an auditor for Arthur Andersen & Co., where he was a manager in the Miami office. He worked as tax director of Claire’s Stores Inc., a publicly-traded retailer, and then as the controller for Aurafin Corp., an international jewelry manufacturer and wholesaler.

Professor McLelland’s research interests are in the differential use of accounting information by investor class, financial reporting, audit economics, and governance. He has published articles in the “Journal of Accounting and Public Policy,” “Research in Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting,” and “Mergers and Acquisitions,” among other publications. He has made academic paper presentations at three American Accounting Association national meetings, four universities and two international conferences.

McLelland has taught intermediate accounting, financial analysis and valuation, auditing and tax classes and has received two teaching awards.

Auburn University is a pre-eminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with nearly 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

(Contributed by Dina Kanellos.)

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