Dr. Alan Stancill brings the perspective of a practitioner to the Adkerson School of Accountancy faculty.

The Assistant Clinical Professor, who holds CPA certification in Mississippi and North Carolina, began his career with Dixon Hughes Goodman (now FORVIS) after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at East Carolina University. Some 10 years at Dixon Hughes, primarily in tax, brought wide-ranging experience.

“I worked with clients from retired individuals to multinational corporations,” he remarks. “Mostly, I served closely held family-owned businesses.”

He next took a position in the accounting department of Flanders Corporation, an air filtration products manufacturer. It wasn’t long, however, before Stancill decided to pursue a path that had been in his mind for a number of years – passing along his passion for his vocation through teaching. He enrolled in the PhD program at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business and received his doctorate in 2015.

This is when he brought his experience, knowledge and love of public accounting to Mississippi State.

As a clinical professor, Stancill has a greater emphasis on the teaching and service aspects of academia, with a lesser research expectation. He currently teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate tax courses as well as the Becker CPA Exam Review. Three years ago, he became faculty advisor for a strong MSU Beta Alpha Psi chapter, which has further thrived under his guidance, consistently earning high rankings from the national organization. He has also been involved with the Mississippi Society of CPAs’ tax committee. The research that Stancill does pursue has a solid practitioner focus, applicable for CPAs in taxation.

Stancill’s overarching goal is to shed light on the tax system and make it more accessible.

“People in general are intimidated by taxes and the IRS,” he notes. “A recent survey showed how little the average taxpayer understands about the system. I enjoy providing a better understanding of tax law and how it works – enlightening students about how our tax system came to be the way it is. With that knowledge, they can serve the taxpayer.”

Away from work, Stancill and his wife attend their high school children’s activities and enjoy family time outdoors, be it snow skiing, water skiing, travel or hiking.