The Deloitte Foundation has announced a donation of $100,000 to the American Institute of CPAs Foundation in support of the William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship program for accounting Ph.D. candidates.

The annual award provides a one-time grant of $10,000 to five top accounting Ph.D. students who have shown the potential to lead their peers into the future.

The scholarship is available to CPAs in the United States who have at least three years of professional accounting experience and an undergraduate or master’s degree in accounting. Applicants must also intend to teach or conduct research at an accredited university following the completion of their Ph.D. program.

The scholarship honors the late Bill Ezzell, a former chairman of the AICPA board of directors, and his passion for both the CPA profession and his belief that CPAs should be taught by educators with timely, real-world experience.

“Bill believed that having CPAs in the classroom was the best way to prepare the next generation on the demands of the accounting profession,” said Ernie Almonte, AICPA Foundation president, in a statement. “We greatly appreciate this donation from the Deloitte Foundation. This funding will go a long way towards continuing Bill’s legacy of working to fill the ranks of accounting educators with skilled CPAs who understand the current and future demands of the profession.”

“The Deloitte Foundation is proud to honor Bill’s memory with this grant aimed at strengthening the pipeline of accounting educators,” said Kathy Shoztic, Deloitte Foundation executive director, in a statement. “Our mission to help develop future talent through education initiatives that connect students and faculty to the profession aligns closely with Bill’s passion to link practice to education and ultimately prepare the next generation of CPAs for success.”

For more information on the William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship, head to the AICPA’s site here.