When Lois Ross first joined the Houghton faculty in fall of 2008, she wasn’t anticipating that within two years the accounting major would be cut. Ross, associate professor of accounting, is and has been the only accounting professor at Houghton since her arrival at the college. Once the major was cut, Ross got right to work to bring it back.
Through an immense amount of research and work, Ross helped reframe the justification for having an accounting major. Kenneth Bates, associate professor of business administration, said that because of Ross, “We were able to make a strong, irrefutable case as to why the college needed to bring the accounting major back.”
Ross’s dedication and determination did not go to waste. The following fall, the major was reinstated. “She breathed life into a program that had died,” said Bates, “Since then it has grown leaps and bounds.”
Bates and Ross are longtime acquaintances, both attended Houghton and were only a couple years apart. He was a busboy at the old dining hall that used to be in the basement of Gillette, and she was a waitress, and that’s where the friendship was born. They kept in touch over the years and when a position opened up for an accounting professor at Houghton, Bates notified Ross and suggested that she interview for it. She did, of course, and they went from being classmates to colleagues.
Aside from being known as the person to bring back the accounting major, Ross is also known for her humor. “When I first met Professor Ross, I thought she was unapproachable, but once I got to know her, I found out that she was actually pretty funny,” said senior, Kevin Miranda, and accounting major who came to Houghton the year that the major had it’s revival. “I appreciate her sense of humor,” said Bates “She has brought levity to situations that have been too serious.”
Most people view accounting as tedious. “I had this misconception that accounting was uninteresting and that accountants didn’t have a lot of personality,” said Miranda. However, over the years Ross has proved just the opposite to him. “She makes accounting more interesting, especially once you get past the introductory classes,” said Miranda “She relates some of her own experiences to her teachings, rather than just teaching from the textbook.”
The students at Houghton, in particular the accounting students, are what have made the biggest impact on Ross. “Getting to know the students and prepare them as Christians in the business world has been really neat,” said Ross. Being the only accounting professor and advisor to many, she has developed close relationships with those students. “I’m excited when I think about some of these students graduating because I am thinking what an impact they are going to have and how the Lord is going to use them,” said Ross. “I will miss the interaction with them definitely.”
The students have enjoyed interacting with her as well. “I have heard regularly how much her advisees enjoy getting to know her outside of the classroom,” said Bates. He continued, “She has a cheerful personality and maintains an even keel.” Miranda added that Ross creates a better learning environment because of her willingness to help students understand the material. “You get the sense that she cares,” he said. “She is always available to help and genuinely wants to help. She is very personable and easy to talk to.”
Ross has dabbled in a lot of different things during her career. After receiving her B.A. at Houghton, she went on to get her M.A. at California State at Los Angeles then proceeded to get her M.B.A. from SUNY Buffalo. Ross worked in both public and private accounting firms, taught at the high school level, and received CPA credentials. Her last stop in her career was Houghton, where she said she was “happy to meld my two interests together, teaching and accounting.”
What does Ross plan to do come fall when she doesn’t need to report back to campus? “Decompress,” she said laughingly. After her eight years of teaching at Houghton, she is ready to leave the work behind, but not the people. “I will miss the students and my colleagues, but I wont miss the work,” chuckled Ross.
Ross also plans to spend time with her family, go away to Florida for a month, and tend to her vegetable garden.