Singapore, 22 April 2015 (Wednesday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) has announced today that SMU Professor of Accounting Cheng Qiang has been selected as the next dean of the SMU School of Accountancy (SoA). Prof Cheng who is currently the Associate Dean for Research, will assume the role from July 1, 2015. Prof Cheng, 42, will be the youngest dean in the university’s history.

After an extensive global search that included open meetings with SMU Deans, SoA faculty, staff and Advisory Board members, SMU Provost and Deputy President (Academic Affairs) Professor Rajendra K Srivastava is pleased to recommend Prof Cheng as the new dean of the School. “Prof Cheng Qiang rose to the top of a highly competitive and global pool of candidates. His strong commitment to the field of accountancy and to education of the highest quality, make him the ideal candidate to lead the School of Accountancy,” said Prof Srivastava.

Prof Cheng succeeds Prof Pang Yang Hoong, who is completing three terms over 14 years as SoA’s founding dean. Prof Pang will continue with her role as Vice Provost (Undergraduate).

Prof Cheng joined SMU in 2011 after establishing himself as a first-rate scholar with rich experience teaching in North America at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Washington. He is highly regarded in his professional area and currently sits on the editorial board of the prestigious accounting journal, The Accounting Review, and serves on the Research Committee of the American Accounting Association. In Asia, Prof Cheng has strong connections to top schools in China and has been instrumental in helping the school establish collaborations with Tsinghua University, Peking University and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

Prof Cheng earned his doctorate in accounting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a double degree in business administration and in mechanical engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing. He also holds a master’s degree in accounting from Tsinghua University.

His strength in research is evident from the number of high-quality papers he has published in top-tier refereed journals, including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, and Journal of Financial Economics. Throughout his academic career, Prof Cheng has regularly presented papers across the US and in many renowned Asian universities in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as Australia. In the last eight years, his research in corporate governance and earnings management won him recognition, garnering praise and top awards at international accounting conferences.

As Associate Dean (Research), he helped raise SoA’s international profile, boosting its worldwide research rankings in The Brigham Young University Accounting Research Rankings - Financial Accounting with Archival Methods. The School is ranked #1 in Asia and improved from 20th position in 2012, to 10th in 2013 and to seventh worldwide in the recently released rankings. He is credited with increasing research productivity among faculty in SoA, mentoring and co-authoring research papers with many junior research faculty.

At SMU, Prof Cheng has gained a reputation as being an outstanding faculty whose contributions are pivotal to the advancement of SoA. He received awards both at the school and university levels for his achievements in teaching and research. These include the SoA Most Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award (2014), SMU Lee Kuan Yew Fellowship for Research Excellence (2013) and SoA Most Outstanding Faculty Award in Research (2013). Additionally, he was instrumental in recruiting senior research faculty and top world renowned visiting faculty to the School in the last few years.

“It is a great honour and privilege for me to have been chosen to serve as next Dean of SMU School of Accountancy,” said Dean-designate Prof Cheng.  

“I appreciate very much this opportunity, and the trust and confidence placed in me to lead the School in the next phase of its development. In the next five years, my priorities will be to work with the University’s leaders and faculty members to increase the School’s global visibility, to strengthen its linkage to stakeholders, the industry, employers, alumni, and the government, to collaborate with schools in the region as well as in other parts of the world, and to further enhance the intellectual contribution of the faculty.”

In expressing his deep appreciation to Professor Pang, the outgoing Dean, SMU President Professor De Meyer said, “SMU owes Prof Pang a large debt of gratitude, not only for her years of outstanding service but in particular for the passion and commitment she has shown as the founding dean of the School of Accountancy."

“In 2001, it was envisioned that SMU will become the first Singapore university to offer an American-style, broad-based accountancy degree programme with professional recognition. Prof Pang achieved much more than making that a reality. As a result of Prof Pang’s tireless efforts, not only did SoA win recognition as a school which has made important contributions to the tertiary and business landscape in Singapore and beyond, but it has also further established SMU’s position as the premiere institution for the study of accountancy. Her exceptional leadership, strong stewardship and important contributions to SoA and the University are greatly appreciated.”

“We are very pleased that Prof Cheng Qiang will build upon the strong legacy of Prof Pang and her team. Prof Cheng brings to SoA a deep and global understanding of financial accounting, a successful track record of conducting highly technical research and a passion for education, teaching and research. With SoA growing from strength to strength, Prof Cheng’s knowledge and experience will help guide the School to greater heights of excellence.” added Prof De Meyer.