Celebrated for her prestigious career as an accountant and professor, Myrna Leah Fischman, PhD, CPA, has certainly left a mark on her industry. She loves her work, especially sharing what she discovered along the way, and she explored that through a variety of mediums over the years. Dr. Fischman prepared for her endeavors by earning a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts from the City College of the City University of New York in 1960 and 1964, respectively, along with a Doctor of Philosophy from New York University in 1966. She furthered her credentials by becoming a certified public accountant (CPA) in New York.
Throughout the years, Dr. Fischman has served in numerous positions at Long Island University (LIU). Becoming a professor emerita in 2019, she served as a professor of accounting, taxation and law beginning in 1979, director of the Center for Accounting & Tax Education from 1986 to 2019, and director of the School of Professional Accountancy at the Brooklyn campus from 1984 to 2019, as well as accounting department chair and coordinator of the graduate capstone courses. Prior to her tenure there, she garnered experience as community fellowship and chief accountant and investigator of rackets at the office of the Queens District Attorney, instructor of accounting at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, teacher of the accounting center at Commercial High School in New York, and assistant to the controller at Sam Goody, Inc. Dr. Fischman has been a self-employed CPA in New York since 1960.
Dr. Fischman has orchestrated a wealth of accomplishments during her distinguished career. She developed a new business machine course and curriculum at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, brought a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance IRS Program to the LIU-Brooklyn Campus, and created the Center for Accounting and Tax Education, which brings continuing professional education to practicing accountants and now also offers continuing law education to attorneys. She developed articulation agreements with the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Kingsborough Community College, and New York Technical Community College, and also developed a 150-hour BS/MS accounting program for the LIU-Brooklyn campus, the CW Post campus, and the Southampton College campus, which is approved by the NYS Education Department for preparation for the CPA exam.
Based upon her relationship with members of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Dr. Fischman has also introduced courses in fraud using their materials. Furthermore, she served as a lecturer at a tax seminar, where she spoke to roughly 200 licensed certified public accountants and, early on, was the editor for the Eastern Business Educators Journal. She is pleased to have established the Myrna L. Fischman Excellence in Accounting Scholarship to provide financial aid so deserving candidates can enter the profession.
Keeping abreast of the updates in her field, Dr. Fischman had held memberships in numerous organizations, including the National Education Association, American Association of University Professors, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Institute of Management Accountants, and the New York State Society of CPAs. Other notable affiliations include the Brooklyn chapter of the Tax Institute at Long Island University, the Doctorate Association of New York, the Financial Executives Institute, the American Accounting Association, the Association of Government Accountants, and the International Society of Business Education. Additionally, she supports her community through contributions to the Emanu-El El League of the Temple Emanu-El in New York, the Jewish Guild for the Blind, the Jewish Braille Institute, the Community Welfare Committee Association, Friends of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Friends of the American Ballet Theatre, and the Women’s City Club, among others.
As a testament to her success and longevity, Dr. Fischman has received numerous accolades, including the Special Director’s Award in recognition of 40 years of service in the Volunteers in Technical Service Program, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Soroptimist International, the Meritorious Service Award from the Community Service Society, and the Dr. Emanuel Saxe Outstanding CPA in Education Award from the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. She also earned an award from the Department of the Treasury-Internal Revenue Service-Stakeholder Partnerships in Education & Communication for 40 Years of service to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, and was cited in the “CPA Journal,” published by the New York State Society of CPAs.