Jeff Herzog: Paying it forward

Assistant lecturer Jeffrey Herzog, ‘20 MAcc, ‘15 BCom, realized he wanted to pursue teaching while he himself was a fresh BCom student at the Alberta School of Business. Sitting in his first accounting class, he met instructor Jocelyn King and remembers feeling that first flutter of interest in his future career.

“I remember sitting in class thinking that I wanted to be like her one day,” says Herzog. “She came across as very powerful and intelligent, and I wanted to be viewed in a similar light.”

He went on to work at an accounting firm and taught an intro accounting seminar at the U of A. He then earned his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation before enrolling in the university’s master's of accounting program.

“Shortly after that, I started teaching a couple of other accounting courses, and the rest is history!”

Today Herzog is a colleague of King’s — teaching financial reporting and tax courses — and is an inspiration himself, helping students succeed in a subject that takes a lot of persistence and determination.

“Learning accounting is like eating healthy and exercising – it takes a lot of discipline, repetition and consistency, but you build a lot of muscle,” he says. “What I enjoy most about working with accounting students is seeing them work hard to achieve their goals. Our profession values hard workers, so I know those students will have successful careers.”

Besides contributing to student success as an instructor, he is also a patron, funding multiple scholarships named in honour of his family: the Robert Mitchell Herzog Graduate Scholarship in Accounting; the Robert & Gloria Herzog Scholarship in Honors Accounting; and the Ruben & June Sieppert Scholarship in Honors Accounting.

“I once heard a drag queen say, ‘the secret to happiness is helping others,’” says Herzog. “I’ve found that to be a useful motto, motivating me to contribute my time and resources to those in need, especially students.”

“Students are under more pressure than ever before when it comes to financing their education, and I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I can offer some financial support.”

In addition to the above scholarships, Herzog and his partner, Jordan, are thrilled to fund two new scholarships targeting 2SLGBTQIA+ leaders in business and engineering: the Jeff Herzog and Jordan Schulz 2SLGBTQIA+ Leadership Awards.

“As proud members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and alums of business and engineering, it made sense for us to lend our support to the community through these means as well,” he says.

Though Herzog’s desire to help students is personal, he credits his colleague, Dr. Michael Maier, for encouraging him to fund scholarships— and urges others to do the same.

“I have to acknowledge Mike and his giving as an inspiration. I hope other university employees see this article and are moved to do the same,” he says.