James Stuart (BBA-Accounting ’93), Audit Partner at Deloitte, and Ruth Kallio-Mielke (BBA-Accounting ’81 and MS-Taxation ’89), Director at Deloitte Tax, have long contributed to the institution that did so much to shape their success in public accounting. For many years, they have served UWM’s accounting program as mentors, instructors, advisory board members, and donors.
But in 2016, a breakfast meeting with Jerry Leer Professor Paul Fischer started them down an exciting new path with the potential to make a real difference in accounting education at the Lubar School of Business.
Today, the Deloitte Communications Lab in Lubar Hall is the direct result of their inspiration as well as their generosity. Stuart and Kallio-Mielke (and their spouses Sheryl Stuart, BBA-Marketing ’93) and Steven Mielke (BBA-Accounting ’82 and MS-Taxation ’86) were the lead donors for the lab, which was also funded by gifts from other Lubar alumni at Deloitte and matching gifts from the firm.
At a ribbon cutting ceremony in late Fall, Dean Kaushal Chari thanked the Stuarts and Kallio-Mielkes for their leadership in making the lab a reality.
“This is a truly great initiative led by two outstanding accounting alumni who are committed to our students and the accounting program’s continuing leadership in Wisconsin,” he said.
“When we stepped back and looked at our students, Ruth and I knew they were better,” Stuart shared at the ceremony. “But we wanted to explore how to create a real differentiator for them in the area of business communication, which is such a critical skill for them to have as accounting professionals.”
“As a former introvert, communication is a huge passion for me. Every voice needs to be heard,” added Kallio-Mielke. “So when James approached me with the idea, I was fully on board.”
The Deloitte Communications Lab is a dedicated facility for accounting students to collaborate on writing assignments that are now embedded into multiple courses in the accounting curriculum. It also provides space for workshops and one-on-one meetings with their writing coach, Chris Lyons, a senior lecturer in UWM’s English department.
“The support and encouragement from James, Ruth, and their Deloitte colleagues is having an absolute positive impact on our students,” says Associate Professor Veena Brown, chair of the accounting area. “The writing assignments, supported by the lab and dedicated writing staff, have resulted in a marked improvement in our students communication skills.”
Accounting senior Allison Barth agrees. At the event, she shared with Stuart and Kallio-Mielke how the initiative they championed has made her a better writer and earned her recognition at her internship.
“As an intern at Johnson Controls, I had the opportunity to create work papers, and was later chosen to speak in front of the CEO and CFO of the company,” she said. “What I learned here through this program helped develop my ability to prepare and present to that top-level audience. I’m so appreciative of all of the opportunities that this lab represents for me and my fellow students.”