Posted July 28, 2000

IOWA CITY -- Friends and colleagues of Byron R. Ross have honored the highly regarded Iowa City businessman and former University of Iowa educator by creating the Byron R. Ross Teaching Assistant Award. The $10,000 endowment fund will provide a $500 annual award to a teaching assistant in the UI Department of Accounting who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and performance in classroom teaching.

"This award provides an incentive for our graduate students to excel as teachers and go the extra mile to help their students," said accounting department chair Dan Collins. "It's an especially appropriate way to honor Byron Ross. As an accounting instructor, he often brought insights from his business experience into the classroom. Students also appreciated his willingness to provide career counseling outside of the classroom."

Throughout his career, Ross, of North Liberty, Iowa, has been active in the business and education communities of Iowa City. A Braddyville, Iowa, native, Ross served three years in the U.S. Army before pursuing a goal to teach high school business. He received a B.S. degree in education from Northwest Missouri State University in 1952 and then enrolled in the master's program at the University of Iowa. In 1953, a year before completing his degree, he accepted a position with the accounting firm now known as McGladrey & Pullen, where he was a partner for 27 years.

Ross retired from the firm in 1984 and returned to the University of Iowa, where he completed his master's degree in accounting in 1986 and became an adjunct professor from 1987 to 1995. He taught various courses, including financial, managerial, and tax accounting to both graduate and undergraduate students.

His many awards include "Boss of the Year" from three different organizations; Sertoma's Service to Mankind Award; the Chester A. Phillips Award, given annually to honor an outstanding UI business faculty member; the Outstanding University of Iowa Accounting Alumnus Award; and the Beta Alpha Psi Outstanding Faculty Member Award. Ross has served as president and a member of the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce and on the boards of numerous other civic and charitable organizations. He has also supported a number of UI programs, including the accounting department, UI athletics, and Hancher Auditorium.

In 1998 Ross was appointed to the 18-member Iowa Small Business Development Centers advisory committee. From 1987 to 1995 he was the faculty advisor to Beta Alpha Psi, a national honorary accounting fraternity.

Collins expects the fund and subsequent award amounts to grow through additional gifts from Ross's many former students, colleagues, and friends. "Byron is well known and respected in the Iowa City community," he said. "This award in his name supports excellence in classroom teaching, and we believe others will want to honor Byron by contributing to a cause he has championed."

Those interested in supporting the Byron R. Ross Teaching Assistant Award may direct their gifts to the University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4550.

The UI Foundation is the preferred channel for private contributions to all areas of the university. Foundation staff work with alumni and friends to generate funds for scholarships, professorships, facilities improvements, equipment purchases, research and other UI initiatives.

Contact Information

Floyd Akins
Senior Director of Development, Henry B. Tippie College of Business
(319) 335-3305 or (800) 648-6973

Additional information about supporting the UI's Henry B. Tippie College of Business also is available on this site.