Voices of the Bay: Bristol’s John McQuilkin

John McQuilkin’s curious nature and innate desire to learn for the pure joy of learning opened up a world of opportunities over the span of his successful business career. He spent his early years working at two top international accounting firms, then with one of the country’s largest steel companies, before ultimately relocating to Rhode Island to work at a national mortgage company where he eventually became the chief financial officer. It was during his time as a financial analyst that McQuilkin accepted an invitation to teach a course at Lafayette College; the experience whetted his appetite for more. Two decades, three degrees, and several professional and academic accolades later, McQuilkin is a tenured Professor of Accounting and will mark his 17th year this month at Roger Williams University (RWU) in Bristol. His philosophy is three fold: form strong bonds with his students, discover their passions, and share his years of hands-on corporate world knowledge to prepare them for careers beyond the classroom walls.

LIFE STORY: On the first day of class, I have my students fill out a seven-page questionnaire. I ask them, “What do you want to do with your life?” and more importantly, “What are you passionate about?” I tell them my story: I grew up in a really low-income, poor section of Portland, Oregon. My dad was hit by a drunk driver, incurred brain damage, and there was a lot of financial instability. Our family didn’t know any CPAs (certified public accountants) or lawyers. My thinking is if I can do it, you can do it, too. I’ve had some students from really challenging backgrounds, who in their first year of college got a 1.5 GPA, but now they’re going onto PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in New York.

OFFICE HOURS: With my students, it’s not so much me being a sage on a stage; it’s about providing vision for my students and helping them get jobs. Most professors have nothing to do with getting their students jobs. I’m in my office from 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday [when not in class], so my doors are always open and they can come in. Often they just need to talk about something, so it’s building those relationships and connections.

BIG FOUR: When I started at RWU, the accounting curriculum was not oriented towards providing the background for students to become CPA students. None of our students were going to the big four CPA firms [Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, and KPMG]. In the last seven years, we have had an average of 20 students per year.

ROAD TRIP: I’m involved in some different clubs and organizations and I encourage my students to get involved so they can learn leadership skills. With Habitat for Humanity, I have taken students on trips to build houses or to Puerto Rico to offer disaster relief. When you travel with your students, you really get to know them.

WELL BEING: Cell phones, social media, and COVID certainly don’t help with emotional health. I’ll ask my students, “How are you doing? No, really. How are you doing?” Then I get them to talk about it, because if they’re going for 150 hours in four years, there’s a certain amount of pressure there. They’ll tell me, “McQuilkin, you’re an interesting guy because it isn’t all about grades with you. You’re more interested in my mental health. You want to know how I’m doing.” There are cases where I refer students over to counseling.

JUST LISTEN: My faith is very important to me. I feel I’ve been so blessed. Yes, I had a lot of trauma growing up, but so blessed. As a follower of Christ, I seek to show concern and care for the students I’m working with. Part of that is being someone who they can talk to. Sometimes I think listening is the biggest gift you can give other people.