Al Lieberman National Tax Conference Scholarship

The Al Lieberman National Tax Conference Scholarship was established in 2020 by the National Tax Conference Planning Committee and friends of The National Tax Conference in Honor of Alvin H. Lieberman. Professor Lieberman founded the conference in 1979 and led its coordination until 2015. He co-founded The University of Akron Master of Taxation (MTax) program, and the National Tax Conference has been a professional outreach activity of that program since its inception.
Al, as he was affectionately called by all of his professional colleagues, was born November 17, 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio, and dedicated his life to serving others. He taught for 49 years at The University of Akron.
Professor Lieberman earned three UA degrees; a bachelor’s degree in Accounting (1960), a juris doctorate in law (1964), and a master’s degree in business administration (1969). He earned his CPA before starting his academic career in 1967 and retired as an associate professor in 2016. Teaching taxation and accounting principles classes during most of his tenure, Professor Lieberman helped establish UA’s MTax program in 1979, along with Professor Dennis Gordon, and served as program coordinator for more than 30 years.
Professor Lieberman was a cherished mentor to students and faculty members, often sharing his phone number with students to ensure they had access to his counsel. He was instrumental in establishing a pay-it-forward scholarship to help students who were unable to purchase required textbooks in his classes.
Professor Lieberman passed away on April 15, 2020. Al and his wife, Rochelle, have two sons, Robert and Joseph Lieberman.
The Al Lieberman National Tax Conference Scholarship is open to students interested in professional careers in taxation and pursuing Master of Taxation or MS Accounting degrees in The George W. Daverio School of Accountancy at The University of Akron. Candidates must be in good academic standing with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, and must be registered for at least nine graduate credits or a combination of graduate and undergraduate classes totaling 12 credits, the candidate is in the Accelerated BSA/MTax or BSA/MSA, or the candidate is in the MTax program and completing undergraduate classes to satisfy prerequisites.
Candidates must demonstrate at least one of the following qualities, which Professor Lieberman valued:
Participation in activities which demonstrate a willingness to help other UA students, those in high school or other higher learning institutions from which they may transfer, Participation in at least one campus accounting or business student organization, Engagement in a civic organization assisting society’s less fortunate.
Candidate selection will be made by the Chair of the George W. Daverio School of Accountancy with input from the School’s faculty. Scholarship amounts and timing of disbursements will be determined as funds are available. It is expected, however, the scholarship will be a minimum of $3,000 per student.