FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Simon School
Contact:
George M. Tomczyk
(716) 275-8189
Frontier Corp.
Contact:
Randal Simonetti
(716) 777-5886
SIMON SCHOOL ANNOUNCES RONALD L. BITTNER PROFESSORSHIP
Rochester, N.Y.--May 21, 1998--The William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester has received a major contribution from Frontier Corporation to endow the Ronald L. Bittner Professorship in Business Administration. The gift was made in honor of Ronald L. Bittner, former chairman and chief executive officer of Frontier Corporation, who died on August 31, 1997.
In announcing the gift, Frontier President and CEO Joseph Clayton noted that Bittner had enjoyed a close relationship with both the University and the Simon School. "It was reflected both in his willingness to serve those institutions, and in the number of University and Simon graduates who are Frontier employees," he said. "In recognition of the unique role that Ron attributed to the Simon School in the Rochester community, Frontier Corporation has pledged to endow a professorship in his name. The gift will help the Simon School to remain a major force in producing business leaders of the next generation, in the Rochester area as well as throughout the world."
Bittner joined Rochester Telephone Corporation in 1963, remaining with the company--eventually renamed Frontier Corporation--for his entire career. When appointed CEO in 1992, Bittner sought to strengthen Frontier's position in the long-distance telecommunications market. In 1995, he was the force behind Frontier's Open Market Plan, introducing the nation's first competitive market for local telecommunications.
A graduate of the Simon School's Executive Development Program, Bittner was a member of the School's Executive Advisory Committee from 1993 to 1994, and had served on the School's Visiting Committee. In 1993, he became a member of the University of Rochester Board of Trustees.
In a tribute to Bittner at the time of his death, Simon School Dean Charles I. Plosser said: "Ron Bittner was a forward-thinking gentleman of great vision and insight, and a great friend and supporter of the School. He may have taken many valuable lessons away from the Simon School; however, we were the fortunate recipients of his invaluable commitment and friendship."
Commenting on the Bittner professorship, Plosser said "this generous gift by Frontier Corporation will keep Ron Bittner's memory alive as an inspiration to the entire Simon community."
"This new act of generosity confirms the strong relations between Frontier Corporation and the University," said University of Rochester President Thomas H. Jackson. "Moreover, it is a singularly appropriate memorial to Ronald Bittner, who by his actions publicly demonstrated his belief in the importance of business education. This gift will help us to sustain a strong program for our students in management."
The Bittner professorship will be held by Jerold L. Zimmerman, Faculty Chair, professor of accounting and Alumni Distinguished Professor at the Simon School. Zimmerman's research and teaching interests involve accounting and the economic theory of organizations. His research in accounting reached a milestone in 1986 with the publication of Positive Accounting Theory (a book co-authored with Ross L. Watts). His honors and awards include: the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award for Notable Contribution to the Accounting Literature (in 1979 and 1980, for papers with Ross Watts); the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation Award for Distinguished Service and Achievement in Accounting, for his book with Ross Watts; and the American Accounting Association's 1978 Competitive Manuscript Contest Award.
Zimmerman's work has been internationally recognized and acclaimed. He is the author of the recently published Accounting for Decision Making and Control, which has been described as the "first managerial accounting textbook to really emphasize how accounting is used for management." He also co-authored (with James A. Brickley and Clifford W. Smith Jr.) Managerial Economics and Organizational Architecture, and he is the author of a new undergraduate accounting text, Managerial Accounting.
Zimmerman, who received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, is a founding co-editor of the Journal of Accounting and Economics, one of the most highly referenced publications in accounting. He was also a distinguished faculty member of the American Accounting Association's Doctoral Consortium. Zimmerman said that "the Bittner professorship celebrates Mr. Bittner's many distinguished contributions to Frontier Corporation, the Simon School and University, his family and the Rochester community."
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The Simon School consistently ranks among the top 25 U.S. graduate schools of business in rankings such as those published by Business Week and U.S. News & World Report. The
School has long been recognized for its distinctive, economics-based approach to management education, as well as for its flexibility, innovation, youth, size, global outlook and vision.
More information about the Simon School is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ssb.rochester.edu
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Frontier Corporation is one of the leading providers of integrated telecommunications services--including long distance, local telephone, wireless, Internet and data applications--to business customers nationwide. With Frontier's state-of-the-art, self-healing nationwide fiber optic network, customers will enjoy faster transmission speeds, greater bandwidth capacity and unrivaled reliability. Frontier's services are available from one source, on one bill, with one point of customer contact. For more information, visit the Frontier web site at www.frontiercorp.com.
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