Five Questions with Will Ciconte
Will Ciconte, assistant professor of accounting, received his doctorate from the University of Florida and previously worked as a tax senior in public accounting in the financial services group for PwC.
Before joining the University of Kansas, he worked as an assistant professor of accountancy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ciconte’s research interests include the role of artificial intelligence in accounting and finance, the competitiveness of the audit market, and the usefulness of income tax accounting disclosures, among others. His work has been published in the Journal of Accounting Research, Review of Accounting Studies, Contemporary Accounting Research, and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory.
What got you interested in your field, and what is the most rewarding part of being involved in it?
I initially did not want to be an accountant. My dad was an accountant, and I actually helped him with his tax practice during high school and college. But I was initially determined to do something different. Soon after graduating, I came to appreciate the value placed on accounting, and I quickly joined an accounting firm in the Philadelphia area (not my dad’s practice because I wanted to branch out). Over the years, I’ve seen the importance that accounting plays for individuals that are investing for retirement and other goals. They need good information to make investment decisions and accountants play a big role in that.
What is your favorite part about being a Jayhawk?
I’ve only been here about a month, but I can definitely see that students and faculty are friendly. I’ve actually enjoyed learning a bit about the history of the school’s mascot (I’m a history nerd), and I think the campus is really nice. There are a lot more hills than there were in Illinois!
What would you see yourself doing if you weren’t a professor?
That’s a tough question. I had thought a lot about law school as an undergrad, so I could see an alternate path where I’m a lawyer now. While my job is pretty great, my dream job was always to work for one of my favorite teams; so maybe I would have tried to work in the back office for the Philadelphia Eagles (the reigning Super Bowl champs in case you hadn’t heard).
What advice would you give your college self?
Most likely just to relax. I found a number of potential career paths interesting, and I had a lot of trouble picking one. Looking back now, I definitely think it all worked out. I would just say to myself (or any current undergraduate student now) to make the best decision you can with the information you have.
If you could require students to read one thing before graduation (outside of your class reading), what would it be and why?
I wish I was a more consistent reader, but one book that I think would be a good read for anyone is “How to Be Perfect” by Michael Schur. If you like philosophy and comedy, I think you’ll really enjoy it.