Hartman Hall – Dr. Alexander L. Gabbin

Hartman Hall.

Hartman Hall is a newer building for James Madison University, which was celebrated with a grand opening in 2021. It is occupied by the College of Business and named for the family of James and Carolyn Hartman. The Accounting Department inside this building, however, is associated with Dr. Alexander Gabbin, who has taught in this department since 1986.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Alexander Gabbin received his BA from Howard University in 1967, his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1970, and his PhD from Temple University’s Graduate School of Business in 1986. In 1970, Gabbin co-founded the National Black MBA Association and received the association’s Lifetime Membership Award in 2000. Recruited to JMU in 1985 as a Commonwealth Visiting Professor, he went on to become the first Black director of the School of Accounting in the College of Business. He has the distinction of being the only four-time recipient of the James Madison University Outstanding Teacher in Accounting Award (1986, 1988, 1990, and 1992).

In addition to his many honors, recognitions, and extensive scholarship—with published articles in The CPA Journal, Journal of Accountancy, and Issues in Accounting Education—Gabbin is a 1994 charter member of the “Accounting Student Doctoral Association” of the KPMG Foundation’s PhD Project, which aims to increase the diversity of business school faculty. He also served as the chair of the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award selection committee of the National Alliance of African American Athletes from 1998 until 2020. In 2016, he received a Pennsylvania Senate Citation for exemplary dedication to higher education.

Photo from James Madison University’s page on Alexander Gabbin

Sources:

• “Dr. Alexander L. Gabbin.” James Madison University, www.jmu.edu/cob/faculty/all-faculty/gabbin-alexander.shtml.
• Gabbin, Alexander L. “ICYMI: Warning Signs about the Future Supply of Accounting Graduates.” The CPA Journal, 8 Oct. 2020, www.cpajournal.com/2020/10/08/icymi-warning-signs-about-the-future-supply-of-accounting-graduates/.
• “Strategic Plan.” NBMBAA, nbmbaa.org/strategic-plan/.
• “New COB Building: Hartman Hall.” James Madison University, 16 Oct. 2020, www.jmu.edu/news/2020/10/16-hartmans-name-cob-building.shtml.