DePaul University has promoted Kevin Stevens, 54, of Highland Park, from interim director to director of its School of Accountancy and Management Information Systems (SOAMIS).

Stevens, the KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accountancy at DePaul, has been the interim director of the school since July of 2006 and previously was an associate dean of DePaul’s College of Commerce for two years.

A member of DePaul’s faculty for 24 years, Stevens has taught intermediate and financial accounting and has served on numerous university committees. He was elected DePaul Faculty Council president for five consecutive years from 1999 to 2004 – the longest term to date – and helped the council achieve a stronger voice in university governance. Through his work with other university committees, he promoted cross-college collaboration and joined faculty and staff in helping to create the first university-wide honors program and an innovative center for teaching, learning and assessment at DePaul.

At the College of Commerce and its accountancy school – which is one of the largest and most respected university accounting programs in the nation – Stevens helped devise strategies to revise the MBA and accounting curricula, expand program technology, raise scholarship funds and increase enrollment. He directed DePaul’s Masters of Science in Accountancy program from 1993 to 2007 and also directed SOAMIS’ Strobel Scholars honors program from 2005 to 2007.

Stevens holds a doctoral degree in business administration from the University of Kentucky, a master’s in taxation from DePaul, a master’s in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola University, Chicago.

His academic research has focused on accounting education, ethics and tax issues. He has won several teaching and faculty excellence awards from DePaul.

Outside of academia, Stevens has been an active board member for the Hyde Park Arts Center and the Institute for Spiritual Leadership, developing budget models and strategic plans for both organizations.

Enrolling 23,149 students, DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation and largest private university in the Midwest. The university offers highly respected, flexible, practical programs of study in a student-focused learning environment.