Bruce Koch started as a full-time academic in 1978. He joined Albers in 2003 as a Visiting Professor. In 2004, he migrated from that visiting position to a tenure track as Professor of Accounting. He was Accounting Department Chair from 2008 to 2015.
Previous institutions Koch has taught for include Fordham University, New York University, Seton Hall University, and the University of North Texas.
Koch’s research touches on many areas, such as capital budgeting, tax simplification, offshore outsourcing, and decision-making in a cognitive psychological framework. He has published more than 20 journal articles, including in top accounting journals such as The Accounting Review, Accounting Organizations and Society, The Journal of the American Taxation Association, and the Journal of Management Accounting Research.
Additionally, he has published several books and book chapters and made a number of conference presentations.
Koch’s most important service role was as chair of the Department of Accounting from 2008 to 2015. He provided excellent leadership to the department and represented the department well at the school level.
Other key service activities include an important role in the early years of the SU Institutional Review Board and service on the SU Rank and Tenure Committee. One of Koch’s most important contributions was the development of Albers' Leadership EMBA program.
He was also instrumental in setting up the Internal Audit Program, which is now one of eight Institute of Internal Auditors Centers of Excellence worldwide. Both programs would not have been launched without Koch’s initiative and advocacy for the projects.
Koch is considered a highly valued and respected colleague by his peers. They frequently seek him out for his wise counsel. Students find him to be rigorous, enthusiastic, humorous, affirming, organized, and knowledgeable. He has proven to be dedicated to the success of his students and responsive to their feedback.
A large part of why I am at Seattle University is the way in which Bruce recruited me in 2013 when he was Chair of the Accounting Department. His smile and sincerity, combined with his concern for our students and commitment to the mission, was (and still is) 100% genuine. I knew that if someone could lead a group of my peers with such vigor and compassion, that is where I’d want to be.
Gabriel Saucedo Associate Professor, AccountingThe first thing we will all remember about Bruce is his sense of humor and his devotion to cracking puns. But there is way more to his 42 year legacy in higher education than that, as he was beloved by his students and considered a highly valued and respected colleague and leader by his peers
Joe Phillips Dean, Albers'There was one year when a big storm hit Seattle. Bruce, [his wife] Carol, and his dogs stayed over at our house for a few days.
'On one of those days -- a Tuesday -- Bruce gallantly went to the supermarket and came back with an organic roast chicken. [My wife] Meena and I are fond of chicken but Tuesday is the day when we go vegetarian for the entire day.
'We racked our brains on how to tell him that we weren't into chicken that night. We rehearsed different ways of letting him down and kept disagreeing among ourselves. We talked so long that we lost all track of time.
'Soon enough, it was time for dinner. And we still didn't know how to tell him.
'As I started to gingerly broach the subject of what to eat, Bruce opened the package of chicken with a flourish. He then shredded the chicken and tossed the meat into the dogs' bowls.
'I can't remember what we all ended up eating that night. Whatever it was, those dogs ate way better than we did.'