53.8 F
Oxford

Keeping the Flame

UM Patterson School of Accountancy Dean Mark Wilder, left, congratulates Ed Krei, right, of Oklahoma City, Okla., upon his April 2015 induction into the school's Hall of Fame. Krei and his wife, Barbara, also recently increased a lectureship in their name to the chair level to support accountancy faculty.
UM Patterson School of Accountancy Dean Mark Wilder, left, congratulates Ed Krei, right, of Oklahoma City, Okla., upon his April 2015 induction into the school’s Hall of Fame. Krei and his wife, Barbara, also recently increased a lectureship in their name to the chair level to support accountancy faculty.

For Ed and Barbara Krei, the University of Mississippi is the place where it all came together – friendship, networking, young love and most importantly, lasting and valuable educations.

Longtime UM supporters, the couple established the Edward Krei Lectureship in Accountancy in 2009. This year, they have generously elevated their endowment to the chair level, with more than $1 million committed to sustaining and strengthening the Patterson School of Accountancy faculty.

“We received great educations here,” said Ed Krei, a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee and former gold medalist on the CPA exam. “Professors Gene Peery and Jimmy Davis – they had a big impact on me. This is my way to thank them and thank the institution for allowing them to have such a focus on teaching.”

Krei attended a public high school in Jackson, Tenn., and said he was lucky it had a small Advanced Placement program that prepared him for college. He received an Ole Miss band scholarship for his talent on the trumpet, which led him to meet Barbara who played clarinet. Originally enrolled in the School of Engineering, Krei began to feel engineering wasn’t his true calling.

“I talked with my adviser, and he suggested I take Professor Peery’s class,” Krei said. “I really enjoyed it. I took more accounting courses and decided that was where I needed to be.”

Ed and Barbara Krei both graduated in 1973, later marrying in 1974. Barbara graduated from what is now the School of Applied Sciences and has enjoyed a career as a speech pathologist in public schools. The couple has a daughter, Lauren, and son, Barrett, both successful graduates of Vanderbilt University who work in healthcare. Now retired, Barbara enjoys traveling, most recently to Machu Picchu, Peru, and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

Ed Krei said this endowment is meant to provide an eternal flame for what he felt in those years as a student.

“I think the Patterson School is a worthwhile investment because of the passion of the faculty,” Krei said. “Their passion is so evident, and it sounds corny, but they really excite students about their field. And now, with the speaking engagements I have, I find myself emulating what I learned from them.”

Krei is a managing director and board of directors member for the Baker Group, in Oklahoma City, an institutional fixed income firm primarily servicing community banks. For 21 years Krei has represented the Baker Group helping client organizations develop strategies and plan for the future.

“My favorite part of the job is being with people,” he said. “I enjoy hearing what is happening in our industry on the ground level, in real time. It is worthwhile to hear our clients’ perspectives about how their institutions are being impacted and try to help them find solutions.”

Krei also serves on the faculty of two graduate banking schools – Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, and the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado in Boulder, Colo.

The Patterson School receives exceptional rankings annually by Public Accounting Report, the independent newsletter of the accounting profession. UM’s undergraduate degree program has been ranked in the top 20 since 2008 and in the top 10 since 2011.

“We have been fairly high in the rankings for several years and this has brought in many more students,” said Dale Flesher, the current Roland and Sheryl Burns Chair of Accountancy. “As a result, we definitely need more faculty. Endowed chairs provide needed funds for current faculty and will help in the future.”

“The secret is out about the strength of our program,” said Mark Wilder, dean of the Patterson School. “Our students have employment opportunities across the United States and abroad.  During spring 2015, the Patterson School placed interns in 17 different states, from coast to coast, and in London.”

Wilder also noted that “Ole Miss Accountancy graduates like Ed Krei who have worked hard during their tenure here to get the most out of our degree programs have helped craft a national reputation for the Patterson School that is synonymous with success.”

“For decades our faculty members have made a world of difference in the lives of our students,” added Wilder. “And thanks to Ed and Barbara Krei’s generosity, they will continue to be able to do so.”

Individuals and organizations interested in learning more about supporting faculty in the Patterson School of Accountancy can contact Brooke Barnes, development officer, at brooke@olemiss.edu or (662) 915-1993.


Courtesy of Katie Morrison at the Ole Miss Foundation

Adam Brown
Adam Brown
Sports Editor

Most Popular

Recent Comments

scamasdscamith on News Watch Ole Miss
Frances Phillips on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Grace Hudditon on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Millie Johnston on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Binary options + Bitcoin = $ 1643 per week: https://8000-usd-per-day.blogspot.com.tr?b=46 on Beta Upsilon Chi: A Christian Brotherhood
Jay Mitchell on Reflections: The Square
Terry Wilcox SFCV USA RET on Oxford's Five Guys Announces Opening Date
Stephanie on Throwback Summer
organized religion is mans downfall on VP of Palmer Home Devotes Life to Finding Homes for Children
Paige Williams on Boyer: Best 10 Books of 2018
Keith mansel on Cleveland On Medgar Evans
Debbie Nader McManus on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: The Last of His Kind
Richard Burns on A William Faulkner Sighting
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Ruby Begonia on Family Catching Rebel Fever
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
jeff the busy eater on Cooking With Kimme: Baked Brie
Travis Yarborough on Reflections: The Square
BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH on Oxford is About to Receive a Sweet Treat
baby travel systems australia on Heaton: 8 Southern Ways to Heckle in SEC Baseball
Rajka Radenkovich on Eating Oxford: Restaurant Watch
Richard Burns on Reflections: The Square
Guillermo Perez Arguello on Mississippi Quote Of The Day
A Friend with a Heavy Heart on Remembering Dr. Stacy Davidson
Harold M. "Hal" Frost, Ph.D. on UM Physical Acoustics Research Center Turns 30
Educated Citizen on Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
Debbie Crenshaw on Trump’s Tough Road Ahead
Treadway Strickland on Wicker Looks Ahead to New Congress
Tony Ryals on parking
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
C. Scott Fischer on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Sylvia Williams on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Will Patterson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Rick Henderson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
George L Price on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
on
Morgan Shands on Cleveland: On Ed Reed
Richard McGraw on Cleveland: On Cissye Gallagher
Branan Southerland on Gameday RV Parking at HottyToddy.com
Tom and Randa Baddley on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
26 years and continuously learning on Ole Miss Puts History In Context With Plaque
a Paterson on Beyond Barton v. Barnett
Phil Higginbotham on ‘Unpublished’ by Shane Brown
Bettina Willie@www.yahoo.com.102Martinez St.Batesville,Ms.38606 on Bomb Threat: South Panola High School Evacuated This Morning
Anita M Fellenz, (Emilly Hoffman's CA grandmother on Ole Miss Spirit Groups Rank High in National Finals
Marilyn Moore Hughes on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
Jaqundacotten@gmail williams on HottyToddy Hometown: Hollandale, Mississippi
Finney moore on Can Ole Miss Grow Too Big?
diane faulkner cawlley on Oxford’s Olden Days: Miss Annie’s Yard
Phil Higginbotham on ‘November 24’ by Shane Brown
Maralyn Bullion on Neely-Dorsey: Hog Killing Time
Beth Carr on A Letter To Mom
Becky on A Letter To Mom
Marilyn Tinnnin on A Letter To Mom
Roger ulmer on UM Takes Down State Flag
Chris Pool on UM Takes Down State Flag
TampaRebel on UM Takes Down State Flag
david smith on UM Takes Down State Flag
Boyd Harris on UM Takes Down State Flag
Jim (Herc @ UM) on Cleveland: Fall Vacations
Robert Hollingsworth on Rebels on the Road: Memphis Eateries
David McCullough on Shepard Leaves Ole Miss Football
Gayle G. Henry on Meet Your 2015 Miss Ole Miss
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Neely-Dorsey: Elvis Presley’s Big Homecoming
Jennifer Mooneyham on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Wes McIngvale on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
BARRY MCCAMMON on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
Laughing out Loud on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Dr.Bill Priester on Cleveland: On Bob Priester
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
paulette holmes langbecker on Cofield on Oxford – Rising Ole Miss Rookie
Ruth Shipp Yarbrough on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Karllen Smith on ‘Rilee’ by Shane Brown
Jean Baker Pinion on ‘The Cool Pad’ by Shane Brown
Janet Hollingsworth (Cavanaugh) on John Cofield on Oxford: A Beacon
Proud Mississippi Voter on Gunn Calls for Change in Mississippi Flag
Deloris Brown-Thompson on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Sue Ellen Parker Stubbs on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Karen fowler on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Don't Go to Law School on Four Legal Rebels Rising in the Real World
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
Joanne and Mark Wilkinson on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Mary Ellen (Dring) Gamble on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Cyndy Carroll on Filming it Up in Mississippi
Dottie Dewberry on Top 10 Secret Southern Sayings
Brother Everett Childers on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Mark McElreath on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Bill Wilkes, UM '57, '58, '63 on A Letter from Chancellor Dan Jones
Sandra Caffey Neal on Mississippi Has Proud Irish Heritage
Teresa Enyeart, and Terry Enyeat on Death of Ole Miss Grad, U.S. Vet Stuns Rebel Nation
P. D. Fyke on Wells: Steelhead Run
Johnny Neumann on Freeze Staying with Rebels
Maralyn Bullion on On Cooking Southern: Chess Pie
Kaye Bryant on Henry: E. for Congress
charles Eichorn on Hotty Tamales, Gosh Almighty
Jack of All Trades on Roll Over Bear Bryant
w nadler on Roll Over Bear Bryant
Stacey Berryhill on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
John Appleton on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Charlotte Lamb on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Two True Mississippi Icons
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Jeanette Berryhill Wells on HottyToddy Hometown: Senatobia, Mississippi
Tire of the same ole news on 3 "Must Eat" Breakfast Spots in Oxford
gonna be a rebelution on Walking Rebel Fans Back Off the Ledge
Nora Jaccaud on Rickshaws in Oxford
Martha Marshall on Educating the Delta — Or Not
Nita McVeigh on 'I'm So Oxford' Goes Viral
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on How a Visit to the Magnolia State Can Inspire You
Charlie Fowler Jr. on Prawns? In the Mississippi Delta?
Martha Marshall on A Salute to 37 Years of Sparky
Sylvia Hartness Williams on Oxford Approves Diversity Resolution
Jerry Greenfield on Wine Tip: Problem Corks
Cheryl Obrentz on I Won the Lottery! Now What?
Bnogas on Food for the Soul
Barbeque Memphis on History of Tennessee Barbecue
Josephine Bass on The Delta and the Civil War
Nicolas Morrison on The Walking Man
Pete Williams on Blog: MPACT’s Future
Laurie Triplette on On Cooking Southern: Fall Veggies
Harvey Faust on The Kream Kup of the Krop
StarReb on The Hoka
Scott Whodatty Keetereaux Keet on Hip Hop — Yo or No, What’s Your Call
Johnathan Doeman on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
Andy McWilliams on The Warden & The Chief
Kathryn McElroy on Think Like A Writer
Claire Duff Sullivan on Alert Dogs Give Diabetics Peace of Mind
Jesse Yancy on The Hoka
Jennifer Thompson Walker on Ole Miss, Gameday From The Eyes of a Freshman
HottyToddy.com