Dr. L. Howard Godfrey
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
"It is a great privilege for me to be part of the process of educating, training, advising and mentoring students who will assume leadership roles in the business world," shares Dr. L. Howard Godfrey, Professor of Accounting, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "My focus is on helping students succeed, whether I am engaged in course preparation, class lectures, testing, research, or advising and mentoring. When students succeed, we all succeed."
As a member of the Department of Accounting faculty for 36 years, with his area of specialty being individual and corporate taxation, his dedication to teaching has resulted in thousands of students succeeding in his courses and in their professions. A graduate writes, "In Dr. Godfrey's class I not only learned the principles of taxation, but more importantly, the methodology for solving real-world problems that I would experience in the accounting profession."
He believes that his teaching success is based largely on relationships with students. He strives to be fair and encourages students to make a commitment to act with integrity throughout their careers. Because tax regulations are always changing, he works tirelessly to keep the material current, and prepares simple cases and illustrations to help students learn to solve problems and understand the related Accounting and tax rules. Another graduate shares, "Dr. Godfrey is a professor who is clearly passionate about his subject and ensuring that his students understand what he is teaching. He provides numerous real life examples in his lectures and always makes time for his students outside of class."
His activities beyond the classroom have been of immeasurable value to students. He has consistently assisted students in finding jobs. A consummate mentor, he uses his broad network of alumni and professionals to find internships and permanent positions. A professional accountant writes, "Now over ten years removed from the college environment, I still receive regular correspondence from Dr. Godfrey about things going on at the University and simply to inquire about how things are going in my career."
Twenty years ago he inaugurated and has continued to coordinate the Department of Accounting Annual Student Recruiter Picnic. The Picnic has become a major recruiting event that brings together students and professional recruiters in an informal setting.
In 1994 he committed to preparing an undergraduate team for a national Tax Challenge. Competing against 64 teams, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte was recognized as the second best in the nation. His teams continued to be extraordinarily successful, qualifying twelve times in the top ten. In 2004, the first time a graduate team entered, it placed in the top six. Through his dedication, this Tax Challenge team experience has provided a special learning opportunity for team members and significantly advanced their professional careers. Their success has also brought wonderful visibility and recognition to the University, the Belk College of Business, and the Department of Accounting.
Dr. Godfrey earned his BS in Accounting from Mississippi College and his MAcc and PhD from the University of Alabama.