Graduate Tax Program Welcomes New Faculty Member
J. Richard (Dick) Harvey will be joining the full-time faculty of Villanova Law's Graduate Tax Program as a Distinguished Professor of Practice. Professor Harvey is currently the Senior Advisor to IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman and is responsible for providing him guidance on matters of policy and tax administration. He was appointed to his position in August 2008 and works closely with the IRS Chief Counsel's office, the Treasury Department Office of Tax Policy, the Department of Justice, and various Congressional staff.
While at the IRS, Professor Harvey has been substantially involved in many high profile tax issues, including: (i) the IRS's administrative and legislative efforts surrounding unreported offshore accounts, (ii) the IRS's proposal to require corporations to disclose tax issues on their return, and (iii) the LILO/SILO settlement initiative. He also has been involved in many other tax policy and administration issues. Upon announcing Professor Harvey's planned departure from the IRS, Commissioner Shulman stated: "His depth of knowledge on financial accounting and tax issues has been an invaluable asset to the IRS as we have grappled with a number of highly complex and high stakes issues", and "he has provided significant leadership in the agency's efforts to combat international tax avoidance."
At Villanova, Professor Harvey will be teaching courses in both the Graduate Tax and JD Programs, including Tax Policy, Hot Topics in Tax Transparency, and Accounting for Lawyers. "Professor Harvey brings tremendous experience and expertise on both accounting and tax issues to Villanova" said Dean Brogan. "We are fortunate to have someone of Professor Harvey’s caliber help prepare Villanova students for the challenging issues they face in the profession. Professor Harvey will add additional distinction to our outstanding tax program, a program that has taken its place as among the best in the nation." Director of the Graduate Tax Program Professor Leslie Book adds: “Professor Harvey brings the combination of high level public and private sector experience that will bring tremendous value to our students and help us as we continue to implement a major curricular reform within our program.”
Taught in the evening, the Graduate Tax Program offers over 35 tax courses in fall, spring and summer semesters, with topics ranging in concentration areas such as business tax, wealth planning, employee benefits, and tax controversy, with select specialized courses in areas including international tax, non-profit law, real estate tax, research and writing, professional responsibility and state and local tax. Taught by full time faculty from Villanova’s Law and Business School, as well as the area’s top tax practitioners, the Graduate Tax Program offers a unique combination of practical and substantive tax courses for students attorneys and accountants seeking additional specialization or those professionals seeking to make tax practice a career. The Graduate Tax Program curriculum emphasizes a foundation of core tax courses, supplemented by specialized courses within course cluster areas, topped off by capstone courses that emphasize practical client and simulation-based experiential learning.
Prior to joining the IRS, Professor Harvey was a managing partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, where he served as the U.S. Banking and Capital Markets Tax Leader. In addition to being a nationally recognized expert in financial services tax issues, he has extensive experience in financial accounting for income taxes, including both Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) rules and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Professor Harvey joined Price Waterhouse in 1978 in its audit practice and transferred to the tax practice in 1981. He transferred to the Price Waterhouse’s Washington National Tax Office in 1985. In 1986, he joined the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy where he drafted legislation and regulations and did extensive work on the 1986 Tax Reform Act. He rejoined Price Waterhouse (later renamed PricewaterhouseCoopers) in 1988 as a tax partner in New York City focusing on financial institutions.
Professor Harvey graduated magna cum laude from Bucknell University and has a master’s degree in international economics and finance from the University of York in the United Kingdom. He also has served as the Distinguished Clinical Professor of Accounting and Executive-in-Residence at Bucknell University, and an Adjunct Professor in Tax and Accounting at The College of New Jersey.
