DCOB’s Dr. Robert Boylan awarded Endowed Chair of Finance

After five years of dedicated service in the Davis College of Business as the Department Chair of Accounting and Finance, Dr. Robert (Bob) Boylan has been awarded the Endowed Chair of Finance.

Boylan came to JU in 2003 after a stint as a visiting Accounting professor at the University of North Florida’s Coggin School of Business (2002-2003). From 2005 – 2010, Boylan served as DCOB’s Director of the Accounting Program, and in 2010 he was elected as Chair of the Accounting and Finance Department.

After joining JU as Professor of Accounting, Boylan was quickly recognized as one of the top professors at the Davis College of Business. DCOB’s Dean, Dr. Don Capener, supported the endowment of Boylan’s Chair by saying “He is an exemplary instructor in our program and has led the growth in accounting and the success in our executive MBA program. For these reasons and many others he deserves this recognition.”

Boylan has made significant strides in the development of JU’s highly recognized Accounting major. He has done this by not only increasing student enrollment, but by increasing faculty involvement and ensuring students are better prepared for the CPA exam and to enter the workforce. Students graduating with an Accounting major from JU have a near 100 percent placement rate. With the new resources allocated to his position, Boylan is excited to develop new projects and initiatives.

As Chair of the newly named Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance, one of Boylan’s goals is to further develop the student-managed investment fund, the Dolfinance Group. One of DCOB’s newest faculty members, Dr. Daphne Wang, will advise this student organization. Boylan believes Wang will do an excellent job leading the students and imparting lessons of leadership and financial responsibility. Currently, the students of the Dofinance Group manage $500,000 of the Davis endowment pool of funds. Boylan looks forward to seeing more involvement from students within the Finance and Economics majors as they continue to advance the organization.

The Chair of Finance is endowed by the late Guy Warren Botts, the former chairman of Barnett Banks Inc. Botts’ memory lives on in his generosity toward Jacksonville University and the Davis College of Business.