TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Culverhouse School of Accountancy at The University of Alabama has received a $600,000 gift from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world's largest professional services firm.

Samuel A. DiPiazza Jr., PricewaterhouseCoopers global chief executive officer, is a graduate of UA, where he earned degrees in accounting and economics. A significant portion of the commitment is from DiPiazza personally.

"This contribution is of tremendous significance for our school of accountancy," said Dr. J. Barry Mason, dean of the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. "PricewaterhouseCoopers and Sam DiPiazza have been wonderful supporters of our business school, the school of accountancy and the University in general through scholarships and other financial contributions. This highlights the firm's commitment to the accounting profession and to accounting students."

UA President Andrew Sorensen said the commitment from PricewaterhouseCoopers shows "a continuing confidence in our accounting program. We are extremely grateful to Mr. DiPiazza and the entire PricewaterhouseCoopers family. To obtain this kind of support from the foremost professional services firm in the world is testament to the esteem in which our students are held."

The Culverhouse School of Accountancy and its graduate program are nationally recognized. For the past two years UA graduates have recorded the highest scores on the state Certified Public Accountant exam. The school is a part of UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration.

"The support of PricewaterhouseCoopers will play a huge role in allowing us to continue to produce superior accountants," said Rob Ingram, director of the Culverhouse School of Accountancy. "We will be able to increase our number of scholarships and support for our faculty."

Ingram said $350,000 of the commitment, which will be paid over a five-year period, would be used to establish an endowment to support the PricewaterhouseCoopers Accounting Development Fund. The remainder will be used for scholarships, research, curriculum development and other needs consistent with maintaining a top-tier accounting program.

Ron Cofield, managing partner for the Birmingham/Montgomery office of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said there are 26 partners in the firm who are UA graduates and "we are pleased with the long-standing relationship we have with the university. We look forward to the fellowships and scholarships that will be established with this commitment and we are proud that we can help provide the opportunity for the school of accountancy to continue to attract top caliber students and professors."