- Faculty; On campus and On Location
Dr. Richard O. Hanson, professor of accounting and taxation, knows what it's like to juggle work, school and family obligations.
"All of my education has been through night school and on weekends," Dr. Hanson says. "My bachelor's, my master's and my doctorate."
The professor, who started SNHU's Institute for Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, spent 20 years working in public accounting and about 15 years in the industry, while teaching and taking classes.
"I know where I came from, and I know the expectations people have when they hire our graduate students," he says.
Hanson serves on the New Hampshire Board of Accountancy, the national CPA Examiner Committee and the CPA Licensing Examination Committee for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. He teaches primarily graduate courses; roughly half of his students come from outside the U.S.
"The first five minutes of the first class, I tell students: 'You can't hide in this class. Come prepared to ask questions and appreciate other people's opinions,'" he says.
This isn't easy for international students raised in cultures that teach them to accept, not question, authority. And American students who attend classes after working all day also find the professor’s requirements a challenge.
That's fine with Hanson, who sees his mission as preparing students for the real world. "Having been there and done that, I know what the students are dealing with," he says.
