Tippie College of Business accounting professor Daniel W. Collins (BBA68/PhD73) has been honored with the 2021 Hancher-Finkbine Faculty Medallion. The award, the most prestigious at the University of Iowa, recognizes individuals of extraordinary ability and potential. Collins received the honor April 20, 2021 in a virtual ceremony.
Collins, the Henry B. Tippie Research Chair in Accounting, has been a member of the accounting faculty in the Tippie College of Business since 1979. He served as accounting department executive officer from 1995-2002 and 2014-2020 and headed the department’s doctoral program for more than two decades.
“Dan Collins’ legacy will have a lasting impact for many years to come,” Dean Amy Kristof-Brown said. “He continues to be a world-class researcher—just this year he was named in a study identifying the top 2% of accounting researchers worldwide. As a professor and mentor, his reach is further amplified. His students have gone on to become deans and professors at prestigious universities and leaders in industry. We are proud of all he has accomplished and congratulate him on this significant honor.”
In his career at Tippie, Collins has taught and mentored countless accounting PhD students, creating a powerful legacy of thought leaders in the academic profession. His contributions to the field of accounting have been recognized with such awards as the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section of the American Accounting Association (FARS) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, the FARS Distinguished PhD Mentoring Award in 2016, and the American Accounting Association Outstanding Educator Award in 2001. He has been published widely, and his textbook “Financial Reporting & Analysis” is now in its seventh edition.
Collins has also been a tireless fundraiser for the college, which has been instrumental for many departmental initiatives, elevating the doctoral program to national prominence, and launching the Accounting Writing Program, now in its 20th year.
"Dan recognized early on that private support would be required if Iowa was going to have a world-class accounting department and took it upon himself to make that happen,” said Professor and Gary C. Fethke Chair in Leadership Kurt Anstreicher in his nomination letter. “The relationships that Dan has maintained have had enormous positive effects for the entire university, with accounting alumni including Henry Tippie and Dale Baker supporting many units of the university.”
The Hancher-Finkbine Awards, held annually since 1917, pay tribute to distinguished students, faculty, staff, and alumni and includes other notable university awards. The Hancher-Finkbine Medallions are an opportunity for members of the university community to be recognized for exemplary dedication in leadership, learning, and loyalty.
This article appeared in the 2021 issue of Iowa Ledger.