Eric Press

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Oregon
• M.B.A., University of Washington
• B.A., University of Washington

Specializations:

• Use of accounting numbers in debt contracts
• Accounting choices and financial distress
• Impact of SEC Regulation on firms’ accounting choices

After earning his doctoral degree from the University of Oregon in 1988, Eric began his career at SUNY-Buffalo. The durability of western New York winters soon exceeded his patience (having been raised in Miami), so, after a visit at the Fuqua School of Duke University, he moved to Philadelphia (where his wife has relatives) to join the Fox School of Business at Temple University in 1992.

Dr. Press has been an active researcher, publishing in journals such as Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, Review of Accounting Studies, and the Journal of Business Finance and Accounting. He taught a variety of accounting courses at the undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. levels.

Dr. Press was chairman of the Department of Accounting at Temple from 2006 to June 2019. He revised the undergraduate curriculum to make learning more effective for students; recruited several nationally prominent Accounting scholars; signed up founding members of the Temple Accounting Circle to support faculty research, Ph.D. students, and professional development activities; initiated a Masters of Accountancy program that begins in 2011; and, in 2014, oversaw fund raising and an Alumni Reunion Dinner that together raised more than $700,000 for scholarships, and aims to attain AACSB Department of Accounting accreditation. These accomplishments evidence Eric’s dedication to accounting education and research.

Sample Publications

• “Insider Trading and Earnings Management in Distressed Firms,” with M. D. Beneish and M. Vargus. Contemporary Accounting Research (March 2012).
• “Accounting Rates of Return Revisited: Evidence of their Usefulness in Estimating Economic Returns,” with M. Danielson. Review of Accounting Studies 8 (December 2003).
• “The North American Industry Classification System and Its Implications for Accounting Research,” with J. Krishnan. Contemporary Accounting Research 20 (Winter 2003).
• “Costs of Technical Violation of Accounting‑based Debt Covenants,” with M. D. Beneish. The Accounting Review 68 (April 1993).
• “Accounting‑Based Constraints in Public and Private Debt Agreements: Their Association with Leverage and Impact on Accounting Choice,” with J. Weintrop. Journal of Accounting and Economics 12 (January 1990).