Jim Deitrick joined The University of Texas at Austin in 1977 after receiving his Ph.D. from The University of Tennessee. Already accustomed to wearing orange, Dr. Deitrick’s name quickly became synonymous with passion and excellence within the accounting program at the McCombs School of Business. When Deitrick announced that he would retire after 37 years at McCombs, in honor of his dedicated service the James W. Deitrick Endowed Scholarship for International Accounting Study was created.

Known for his love of accounting and sense of humor, Deitrick received 21 teaching awards at UT Austin. One, the MPA Council’s Outstanding Professor Award, voted on by accounting students, was presented to Deitrick 10 times. After receiving the award multiple times, it was renamed the Jim Deitrick Outstanding Professor Award to honor his enduring legacy and valued contributions to education.

“Accounting is the language of business. If you can’t understand the scorecard, you don’t know who’s winning or losing. The accountants are the ones who prepare the scorecard.”

–Dr. Jim Deitrick

During his 11 years as director of the Professional Program in Accounting, Deitrick was a pioneer of one of the country’s first 150-hour accounting programs. While he was at the helm of the accounting program, UT Austin received its first No. 1 ranking from the Public Accounting Report, a rank McCombs has held for 12 of the last 15 years. To this day and thanks to Deitrick’s leadership, the McCombs Accounting Program continues to rank as one of the top programs in the United States and internationally.

In addition to his contributions to the McCombs School, Deitrick committed his time and ideas to bettering the UT Austin community. He helped found the first on-campus childcare center and chaired its oversight committee for 10 years. Equally passionate about sports, Deitrick served on both the Men’s and Women’s Athletics Councils. Of his involvement with intramural sports, Deitrick said, “I’ve always believe in supporting athletics. It has been an important part of my life, so I like giving back and helping out whenever I can.”