Founding Dean
Professor Pang Yang Hoong was a member of the planning team at SMU and was appointed the first Dean of the School of Accountancy (SoA) in 2000. She was also appointed Vice Provost (Undergraduate) on 1 June 2004 and held both appointments concurrently until the conclusion of her 3rd term as Dean of School of Accountancy in July 2015. Professor Pang stepped down from her role as Vice Provost (Undergraduate Matters) in 2017.
As the Founding Dean of SoA and in Professor Pang’s 15 years at its helm, the school has grown considerably - the faculty strength increased from 10 to 43 faculty members, student enrolment grew from 90 to over 1000, and the school has added two Master’s level programmes to the initial offering of the Bachelor’s programme. Under her guidance, the school has earned accreditation by the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants, the Singapore Accountancy Commission, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, CPA Australia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and AACSB International.
Professor Pang’s leadership has also established SoA’s reputation in the area of research. The school’s research centre (SOAR) was established in 2010 which strengthened SoA’s network and partnerships with academia, government, businesses and professional bodies. In the Brigham Young Accounting Research Rankings 2014 (released in February 2015), SoA was ranked 7th in the world for financial archival research, and 8th worldwide for all accounting research methods. In July 2014, a second research centre in SoA, the SMU-TA Centre for Excellence in Taxation (CET), was established as a joint collaboration between SoA and the Tax Academy of Singapore. SMU-TA CET is the first centre in Singapore dedicated to taxation research.
As a member of the SMU planning team, Professor Pang has been equally instrumental in the development of SMU. In her role as Vice Provost (Undergraduate), she has led many university-level initiatives and provided leadership to various departments, centres and units. She has helped with the design and quality control in all aspects of the undergraduate programme with particular attention to details in curriculum design, pedagogical innovations, role of internships and student placements.
She is often the interface between SMU and many government ministries and departments, and also serves on the board of several key professional bodies such the ISCA Council and the Singapore Qualification Programme Advisory Council. Her contributions have also been recognised by the Singapore Government in 2010 when she received The Public Administration Medal (Silver).
Professor Pang’s tireless efforts during her tenure brought recognition to SoA as a school which has made important contributions to the tertiary and business landscape in Singapore and beyond, and establishing SMU’s position as the premiere institution for the study of accountancy. Her exceptional leadership, strong stewardship and important contributions to SoA has built and led a strong and stable school that is now poised to achieve greater heights in education, research and community service.
In expressing his deep appreciation to Professor Pang, former SMU President Professor De Meyer said, “SMU owes Prof Pang a large debt of gratitude, not only for her years of outstanding service but in particular for the passion and commitment she has shown as the founding dean of the School of Accountancy."
“In 2001, it was envisioned that SMU will become the first Singapore university to offer an American-style, broad-based accountancy degree programme with professional recognition. Professor Pang, together with the pioneering faculty, achieved much more than making that a reality.”
Professor Pang received the Distinguished Educator's Award in October 2020 and was conferred Emeritus status upon retirement on 1 July 2021.
Professor PANG Yang Hoong
"On a personal note, it has been a great privilege to be able to see the School from its genesis in 2001 to its current state. The few instances of difficulties encountered have since been forgotten; instead I look back only to see the joy and satisfaction of so many wonderful faculty and staff working together to build our School and to bring it to the next level of accomplishment." - Professor Pang Yang Hoong, "True & Fair: School of Accountancy 2001-2015 - The Foundation Years"