Professor Joseph A. Lizza, MBA, CPA, CGMA has taught all advanced accounting as well as some business courses in the School of Business at Felician University since 2009. With someone with nearly thirty years’ experience at the head of the classroom, students aren’t just learning how to balance books and prepare tax forms. At Felician University they are also learning what it means to become part of a professional culture, within the framework of Franciscan Values such as Respect for Human Dignity and Service.

Professor Lizza is himself a graduate of Felician’s MBA program and is managing partner with the Lyndhurst tax & accounting Firm, Lizza, Kmetz & Associates, LLP. Felician University maintains a strong connection with the firm. “I have a lot of students that have been interns and I have full-time employees, and my partner have all been Felician students” said Lizza.

In 2011 Prof. Lizza created Felician University’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance  (VITA) program, which offers free tax assistance to area residents, mostly low-income residents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and taxpayers with limited English-speaking skills. The VITA program is done in coordination with the Internal Revenue Service and has helped some 3,000 patrons over the last decade and is also a great learning experience for students. “You know, it’s one of the things that I am extremely proud of, because not only is it about accounting, it really gets right into the Felician mission. You know, it’s about helping others and really doing what the mission is about. And it’s a real pleasure for me to be able to spearhead this over the last 10 years.”

The professor’s dedication to service has not gone without notice. In 2018, he was recognized with an NJCPA Ovation Award for Volunteerism for his work with the VITA Program at Felician. In 2019 he was honored with an Ovation Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2020 njbiz.com recognized Prof. Lizza with an ICON Award for leaders over 60. In each case the professor says the awards came as a sweet surprise which he found, “very heartwarming and humbling.”

Preparing students with both a solid academic background as well as soft skills is a critical part of developing a well-rounded professional according to Prof. Lizza. “It’s your ability to interact out in the field, it’s active listening, it’s all of those things that aren’t necessarily provided in the textbook. Not saying that that’s not necessary, but it’s a combination.”

Prof. Lizza says he feels very fortunate he had the chance to build relationships with students from when he started at the University noting, “some of the students that I had at the very beginning of my days at Felician are still very close with me, and they are in contact with me all the time. I’m really, really fortunate in that way.”