2023 Bender of Twigs

I remember well when Michael Flores joined the faculty of the School of Accountancy in 1998, fresh out of graduate school. Even then, there was something special about him. I don’t believe that I have ever met anyone who was so enthusiastic about adopting the duties and expectations of a new assignment. He quickly determined who were the best teachers in the college, forged relationships with them, and then used them as mentors in his quest to become the finest teacher he could be.

Now, 25 years later, Michael is widely regarded as the best teacher in his college — and, in my opinion, the best teacher at the university. Now, that is a bold statement, but consider this: Michael has won every teaching award for which he was eligible, six in all, including the university’s Excellence in Teaching Award and the highly coveted Academy for Effective Teaching Award — for which he received the largest number of student votes in the history of that award. He is not only a great classroom teacher, but his most recent teaching award was for his online teaching.

I have co-taught with Michael and can testify to his incredible platform skills. He can walk into a classroom; and within five minutes, he has mesmerized the students with his command of the subject matter, his broad knowledge, his confidence and his infectious enthusiasm. What is particularly amazing about his popularity as a teacher is that he teaches accounting, one of the most difficult and disliked subjects in the business school curriculum. The thing about Michael I most admire as a teacher, though, is his genuine concern for his students. He cares about each of them and wants them to become successful.

Teaching is not his only contribution. He has given significant service to the university, the community, and the state. His service to the university includes more than 20 years as assistant director for the School of Accountancy and as program coordinator for the Master of Accountancy. Because of his reputation as an outstanding teacher, the Academy for Effective Teaching asked him to conduct mentoring training programs for faculty and new hires. They also asked him to edit their two teaching handbooks that they published for the faculty.

At the community level, he was on the board of directors for Heartspring and chaired that organization for a two-year term. He is a long-term board member for Ascension Via Christi Hospital and serves as board chair. He also chairs the Kansas Health Audit Committee. At the state level he chaired the Kansas Accounting Conference twice, and he has been the faculty course evaluator for the Kansas State Board of Accountancy. Obviously, this man has strong leadership and administrative skills.

Given these credentials, it is not surprising that other universities have attempted to lure him away. However, Michael remains a loyal and dedicated Shocker. Wichita State University is fortunate to have him on its faculty, and I feel fortunate to call him my friend.