A South Kingstown resident, Higgins has recently garnered national attention for his role in crafting a study by the American Institute of CPAs and the American Accounting Association. The study focused on the future structure of higher education for the accounting profession and developing recommendations for educational pathways to engage and retain the strongest possible community of students, academics, practitioners, and other knowledgeable leaders in the practice and study of accounting. The report contains far-reaching recommendations for integrating accounting education, research, and practice; and Higgins will spend the next three years leading the implementation of those recommendations as co-chair of the Pathways Commission.
At URI, Higgins holds the Alfred J. Verrecchia-Hasbro Inc. Leadership Chair in Business. A former tax manager for Ernst and Young, his research has been published extensively.
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business is a global, nonprofit membership organization of educational institutions, businesses, and other entities devoted to the advancement of management education. Founded in 1916, it provides internationally recognized accreditation for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs in business and accounting. Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process that includes an in-depth external review of a school’s ability to provide quality programs.
URI’s College of Business Administration holds accreditations from the Association in business and accounting.