William H and William L . Jenkins Endowed Scholarship

The William H. Jenkins, C.P.A. and William L. Jenkins Endowed Fund was established by William L. Jenkins, the son of William H. Jenkins. Mr. William L. Jenkins is a 1971 graduate of The University of Akron.

Father and son shared a strong belief in the importance of higher education and a passion for the accounting profession. Each used their expertise in accounting to further their careers in business. William H. Jenkins began his career with the accounting firm of Chilton, Stump and Daverio while attending classes at The University of Akron. He retired as the executive vice president of Weather Seal Inc. in Barberton, Ohio, in 1968. His son, William L. Jenkins, went to work for Akron City Hospital in the Finance and Accounting Department following his graduation from The University of Akron’s College of Business Administration’s School of Accountancy. In 1977, William L. Jenkins seized the opportunity to own his own business and, until his retirement in 1998, owned and operated the Akron Personnel and Adjustment Bureau.

The purpose of The William H. Jenkins, C.P.A. and William L. Jenkins Endowed Fund is to provide annual support to the College of Business Administration’s School of Accountancy for scholarships and an annual or multi-year competitive research and writing competition for students and faculty. In this regard, 50% of the total annual income from The William H. Jenkins, C.P.A. and William L. Jenkins Endowed Fund shall be allocated to scholarships and 50% to a competitive research and writing competition for students and faculty.

Scholarships from The William H. Jenkins, C.P.A. and William L. Jenkins Endowed Fund shall be made available to upper-class undergraduate students majoring in accounting and/or graduate students who are pursuing the fifth year of their pre-certification professional accountancy education on an annual basis. The director of the School of Accountancy or the directors’ designee shall award the Jenkins’ scholarship to students in the College of Business Administration who have a demonstrated financial need, possess an overall 3.0 GPA, as well as a 3.0 GPA in their accounting classes, and work while attending classes at the University. Law students are not eligible to receive scholarship support from The William H. Jenkins, C.P.A. and William L. Jenkins Endowed Fund.

The director of the School of Accountancy, in consultation with the dean of the College of Business Administration, shall offer a research and writing competition that encourages students to work with faculty on research and writing projects that lead to publications. The research and writing competition is open to upper-class accounting majors, as well as graduate students who are pursuing the fifth year of their pre-certification professional accountancy education, who are working with accounting faculty in The University of Akron’s College of Business Administration. Student winners of the writing competition shall be named Jenkins Student Fellows. Faculty cohorts shall be named Jenkins Faculty Fellows. To accommodate the writing and publication cycle for refereed journal articles, the Jenkins’ research and writing competition award may be offered on a multi-year basis, not to exceed a period of three years.

During college, Mr. William L. Jenkins was an active member of the ROTC and a member of the Pershing Rifles. He served honorably in the Army from 1966 to 1969, during the Vietnam War Era, and received the Army Commendation Medal. Mr. Jenkins is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants (formerly the National Association of Accountants) and the author of two professional manuscripts in the field of accounting. One of the manuscripts, titled “Non-Profit Hospital Accounting System,” placed in the top 10 nationally in rankings by “Management Accounting” in 1973. Mr. Jenkins is the proud father of Jeremy S. Jenkins.