Frasier's impact in classroom recognized with establishment of new academic chair
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
At first glance, one might think Charles Frasier to be a man who has quietly been a part of Lipscomb’s College of Business for more than 40 years.
But don’t let his quiescent countenance fool you. Fraiser is a roaring lion in accounting education and has been an influential force in the accounting industry in Nashville for decades.
As one of a trio of legendary accounting professors at Lipscomb, which includes the late Axel “The Bear” Swang and current accounting professor Perry Moore, Frasier has helped mold countless young accountants who have impacted organizations across the country and around the world as skilled practitioners and leaders in their field.
On Aug. 26 at a special gathering in Lipscomb’s Swang Business Center, Frasier was honored with the announcement of a newly established chair in his name. The Charles E. Frasier Chair of Accounting in the College of Business was established by a group of Frasier’s former students who are now leaders in Nashville’s business community. Five Lipscomb accounting graduates took the lead in establishing this endowed chair: David (’81) and Rita (’81) Solomon, Marty (’77) and Jane (’76) Kittrell and Bruce Sullivan (’63). David Solomon and Marty Kittrell are members of Lipscomb’s Board of Trustees.
“The purpose for this endowed chair is to honor our esteemed professor, mentor and friend Charles Frasier for his commitment students over the last four decades of,” Solomon said as he address a crowd of business faculty and alums gathered for the event. “It will also provide incremental financial support to attract and retain the right talent to carry on the same commitment to excellence in academics and in development of future leaders in the accounting profession.”
According to the founding agreement, the chair was established “in recognition of the influence of Charles E. Frasier in the lives and careers of the donors and countless other former students, on the accounting program’s recognized heritage of excellence and on the accounting profession at large.”
It’s purpose is to “perpetuate the values, integrity and professional standards epitomized by Frasier as future generations continue and build upon the strong business instruction programs that have characterized the College of Business at Lipscomb University.”
“I am grateful to those who have established this endowed chair in my honor,” said Frasier. “It’s such a privilege and a great honor to be a part of this accounting celebration and to be the initial recipient of the endowed accounting chair. David, Marty and Bruce are personal friends have been integral parts of Lipscomb University and Lipscomb accounting for many years. On behalf of the College of Business I thank each of them for their confidence and support and being such an important business partner with Lipscomb. This endowed chair represents the work and commitment of many constituents. This would not be possible without those who have come before, such as Axel Swang.”
?Frasier, who holds the Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant and Master Teacher designations, joined the Lipscomb faculty in September 1971. He was named chair of the department of accounting in 1986. The department expanded to include finance and economics in 2012. He was a partner in Frasier, Dean and Howard from 1975-2010, a firm that provides audit and tax services, business planning and business development services.
“It’s great that Charles is being honored for all that he has done,” said Ray Eldridge, interim dean of the College of Business. “You can’t think of accounting at Lipscomb without thinking of Charles. I think it makes Lipscomb very unique. People know of Axel Swang and they know Charles. This chair is very important as things change and time goes by to help us earn that national recognition and ranking we are working toward as a college. This kind of chair allows us to bring in the kind of faculty we need to do that because accounting faculty are in short supply and we are competing with other schools to attract the best in the field.”
Solomon credits Frasier with making the accounting profession not seem daunting to his students.
“He made the accounting profession look like a walk in the park despite the customary stigma of being an accountant or tax preparer,” Solomon said. “What was equally compelling for those of us who wanted to be like Charles was that he was pursuing his passions — family, teaching, helping businesses grow and, most importantly, helping students find their way. He genuinely cared about each and every one of his students whether an ‘A’ student, a ‘B’ or ‘C’ student.”
“As students, Charles treated us like adults, which helped us become adults, and he told us he would help us find jobs," Solomon continued. "About 99.99 percent of the time he delivered on that promise. Marty and I were both products of his process and countless others are a product of his commitment to education and to people."
— Photos by Kristi Jones