BIOGRAPHY

Belverd E. Needles, Jr., Ph.D., CPA, CMA
Arthur Andersen LLC Alumni Distinguished Professor of Accounting
DePaul University

Dr. Needles came to DePaul in September 1978 to succeed Eldred Strobel as Chairman and became Director of the School of Accountancy when it was founded two years later. After stepping down as Director in 1986, Bel returned to faculty after a year leave during which he conducted research in international education and organized a conference on the same subject at the University of Illinois. In October 1988, Dr. Needles was appointed to the Arthur Andersen Alumni Distinguished Professorship.

Dr. Needles received the BBA and MBA degrees from Texas Tech University and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois. He has held faculty appointments at Texas Tech University, Chicago State University, and University of Illinois before coming to DePaul. He also served as Dean of the College of Business Administration at Chicago State University from 1972 until 1976.

Dr. Needles teaches auditing and financial accounting at DePaul and is an internationally-known expert in international auditing and accounting education. He has published in leading journals in these fields and is the author or editor of more than twenty books and monographs. He has the distinction of publishing more articles in the International Journal of Accounting in its thirty-three-year history than any other author. His textbooks, which are used throughout the world, include Principles of Accounting which was translated into Russian after being chosen by an agency of the United Nations and is now the leading textbook in Russia on Western accounting. He has recently been involved in the development of interactive, multi-media CD-ROM educational software.

Dr. Needles is active in many academic and professional organizations. He is currently President of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER). He has served as the elected U.S. representative to the European Accounting Association and Chair of the International Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association. He served as Director of Continuing Education of the American Accounting Association is Past-President of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy. He served three years as Chair of the Academic and Career Development Executive Committee and, most recently, three years on the Information Technology Executive Committee of the American Institute of CPAs. He served as the United States representative on the Education Committee of the International Federation of Accountants and serves on the Consultative Group of the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). Mostly recently (2002), he was elected Senior Vice-Chair (Chair-elect) of the Illinois CPA Society.

Dr. Needles has received Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas Tech University, the Illinois CPA Society Outstanding Educator Award, The Joseph A Silvoso Faculty Award of Merit from the Federation of Schools of Accountancy, the Ledger & Quill Award of Merit, and the Ledger & Quill Teaching Excellence Award. In 1992, he was named Educator of the Year by the American Institute of CPAs and Accountant of the Year for Education by the national honorary society Beta Alpha Psi. In 1996, he received from the American Accounting Association the award as the Outstanding International Accounting Educator. In 1998, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from DePaul University.

Belverd E. Needles, Jr.
School of Accountancy
DePaul University
1 East Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL  60604
Phone: (312) 362-5130
Fax: (312) 362-6208