The one-year, $24,000 grant was awarded by the philanthropic arm of the national business and consulting firm.
In addition to broadening her research, Hammond said the grant will allow her to present papers on the subject at conferences around the nation, and plan a number of student-related activities.
"Next to airline pilots, certified public accounting is the whitest profession in America," Hammond said.
Assoc. Prof. Jeffrey Cohen (CSOM), chairman of the Accounting Department, said Hammond's project is "the first and only one of its kind in the country" to receive such funding.
Hammond has traveled to historically African-American colleges to speak with business majors and has interviewed 50 of the first 100 African-American CPAs in America. She is working on a book manuscript based on her research.
"The grant is essential in making this a better book than it would have been," she said
-Reid Oslin