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| Joe Taylor and his daughter, Caitlin, at the School of Business graduation ceremony |
When Joe Taylor’s youngest daughter, Caitlin, left for
college in 2007, he found himself wondering what to do with the free time of
having an empty nest. It was almost 30 years since he earned his bachelor’s degree
in economics from the University of Missouri, and now he was thinking about
getting an MBA.
“I knew in five years I’d be five years older,” Joe Taylor
said. “It could either be with or without an MBA, so I decided to start on it.”
In 2011, Caitlin Taylor received her bachelor’s degree in
accounting and business administration with a concentration in human resources
management from the University of Kansas School of Business and decided to
return for her master’s of accounting degree. The following May, they found
themselves graduating together in the same year, in the same building, on the
same stage.
“For me it was really more of a celebration for my dad,”
Caitlin Taylor said. “He’s been working on his MBA for so long, and he was so
dedicated to his school work, that I was happy for him to have finally reached
his goal.”
Although they both attended KU at the same time, they didn’t
see each other on campus; Caitlin Taylor was on the Lawrence campus and her
father was on the Edwards campus in Kansas City. However, they gave each other advice when
choosing classes and had a few of the same professors, which created some funny
moments.
“One of our favorite professors wrote on my exam once, ‘Your
dad would be proud,’” Caitlin Taylor said. “I definitely enjoyed having my dad
in school the same time as me.”
In addition to earning her MAcc degree this year, Caitlin
Taylor received the Allen Ford Outstanding MAcc Student Award. The award is
voted on by accounting and information systems faculty.
“I’m very proud of Caitlin whether she wins awards or not.”
Joe Taylor said. “Being recognized by the faculty is certainly special,
particularly given the quality of many of Caitlin’s peers that I have met.”
Joe Taylor works at Sprint in Kansas City, so Rockhurst
University and KU are the only two universities that he considered. The
decision turned out to be an easy one.
“I talked to three directors at Sprint and asked them which
they would choose,” he said. “All three of them replied without hesitation that
KU would be the right choice.”
Now that she’s graduated, Caitlin Taylor will work as a tax
accountant at Grant Thornton. Joe Taylor plans to continue work at Sprint.
“The last five years have been one of the most rewarding and
challenging periods of my life,” Joe Taylor said. “I can honestly say that
almost every day some problem or some decision needs to be made where what I
learned at KU helps. It’s really been pretty amazing.”
