Volume 67, Issue 7

An Interview with a Leading Figure in the Accounting Department, Dr. Joel Hochman
by Jessica Strick

Assistant Professor of Accounting Dr. Joel Hochman is one of the accounting department’s most seasoned professors.  Few, if any, accounting majors have graduated Yeshiva without enrolling in multiple courses with him.  And for good reason: Dr. Hochman brings a unique set of credentials to the table.  Aside from receiving a Yeshiva education that predates his current teaching home – the Sy Syms School for Business –Dr. Hochman is one of the few people to hold a CPA, and a  J.D. as well as semicha, which he obtained around his teaching load, from Yeshiva’s affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanon Theological Seminary.  He also speaks fluent Arabic. 

Dr. Hochman’s roots at Yeshiva run as far back as high school.  After graduating Yeshiva University High School for Boys (MSTA), he then went on to earn a BA from Yeshiva College and was appointed to Yeshiva’s faculty in 1994.  His eclectic qualities made him a virtual shoo-in for tenure, which he then received.  In seeming admiration of his academic merit and appreciation of his professorial acumen, the Midtown Sy Syms students selected him Professor of the Year in 1999.  On top of his teaching duties, Dr. Hochman doubles as an academic adviser and. 

Recently, students have expressed concern regarding Dr. Hochman’s upcoming sabbatical.  I recently sat down with Dr. Hochman to find out more about him and his sabbatical plans.  What follows is a transcription of our conversation.

Jessica Strick (JS): You have so many professional identities.  How do they complment one another?

Joel Hochman (HC): I began working for Coopers & Lybrand, one of the “big eight” at the time.  The experience gave me the opportunity to convert book comprehension into practical knowledge.  I went to law school to be a better CPA, not to litigate.  It’s important to know how to interpret client contracts.  Law school also teaches one about taxes and expands your knowledge with the ability to work in a specialization. 

The CPA qualifies you for general accounting, and the CFE qualifies you as a Certified Fraud Examiner. The CFE qualification has become a more popular undertaking since the Enron debacle.  This is a specialized area within auditing including fraud auditing and forensic accounting.  Although I am not currently teaching auditing, I can bring that credential to the students while I teach my other courses.

Rabbinical ordination gives me the appropriate credentials to make an intermittent observation in comparing halacha to what secular law has to say about particular issues.  Everything interrelates, its all part of one big system of accounting.

JS: You mentioned that you worked for Coopers & Lybrand before beginning your academic career.  What was the most fascinating area of accounting that you worked on during those years?

JH: Working in public accounting exposes one to the basic operations of a business.  It is like getting a whole new education without paying tuition.  When you work in a firm of that size, you ultimately get exposed to how big business in this country operates.   By working with clients in different industries, one walks away with a picture on how businesses operate at all levels in this country. You can learn tremendous amounts in a textbook by flow charts on how businesses are set up.  But when one audits, you see the actual flow of checks and balances and internal controls.  There is no faster or more thorough way to learn business operations then through public accounting.  That is what is so exciting about the field. 

I had originally entered accounting with the intent of opening a private practice, but then as I learned of the Big Eight accounting firms there seemed a more exciting track to pursue.  After several years of doing just that, I felt something lacking.  In private practice, a CPA gets to be a CPA advisor.  Aside from auditing, a small business depends heavily on their accountant because they base their decisions on the final numbers they produce.  This is a satisfaction you don’t get in the large public firms.  At a certain point, I decided to go out on my own.  I started in a teaching position to retain some guaranteed cash flows while developing a private practice.  The college liked me so much that they offered me a full-time position.  Since I enjoyed teaching so much, I accepted the offer.  It also gave me time to begin a private practice.

JS: There seems to be quite a stir around the YU accounting community due to your plans to leave for a sabbatical.  Why did you come to this decision, and how long your leave of absence will be?

JH: A faculty member is eligible to apply one semester in the seventh year and beyond for a sabbatical.  It gives a faculty member an unencumbered amount of time to devote to research. While attempting to be a well-rounded professor one needs to be involved in the current developments of their profession.  The ideal way to accomplish this is to engage in research and publishing.  This gives the professor an opportunity to enhance his own development and be at the forefront of new issues in his or her profession.  Publishable articles promote professionalism and advancement of ones own knowledge and the ability to communicate to ones peers. 

JS: Over the course of your academic career at Yeshiva, what success trends have you seen amongst the students entering the professional accounting world?

JH: I think it’s reasonably accepted that every firm seeks our accounting graduates.  Therefore, it is no surprise to me to learn from the graduates that I stay in touch with, that our students climb the corporate ladder very quickly.  Some students transfer out of public accounting and go into corporate accounting.  Job performance and promotions is where the faculty sees the results.  There is a lot of competition within an accounting firm for our students, but the accounting world seems to fight for our alums.¨

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