Timothy Andrew Smith, an accounting graduate from Louisiana Tech University’s College of Business, has received the 2011 Elijah Watt Sells Award presented by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA.) The award is presented to candidates from throughout the U.S. who obtain a cumulative average score of at least 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, complete testing during the previous calendar year, and pass all four sections of the examination on their first attempt. Smith was one of only 37 candidates from across the country who met the criteria for the award.  More than 90,000 candidates sat for the Uniform CPA Exam in 2011. “The faculty members in Louisiana Tech’s School of Accountancy take great pride in the success of our graduates, including outstanding performances on the CPA exam,” said   Dr. Thomas Phillips, director of the School of Accountancy and the KPMG Endowed Professor in Accounting.  “We commend Tim for his spectacular performance on the 2011 examination, and we look forward to hearing more about Tim as he works to maintain the rich tradition of Louisiana Tech’s successful alumni.” Smith, a native of Bossier City who earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2010 and a Master of Professional Accountancy in 2011, is currently employed with Deloitte in Dallas, Texas.  Deloitte is one of the largest financial professional services companies in the world. The Elijah Watt Sells Award was established in 1923 by the AICPA to recognize outstanding performance on the Uniform CPA Examination.  Sells, who passed away in 1924, was one of the country’s first CPAs and a leader in advancing professional education.  He was active in the establishment of the AICPA and was a founder of New York University’s School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance. Louisiana Tech University’s School of Accountancy maintains separate accounting accreditation at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral levels by the AACSB, the international Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.  Louisiana Tech was among the first accounting accredited programs in the U.S. and the first in Louisiana. Written by Debbie Van De Velde – debrav@latech.edu