Den Patten
Professor of Accounting Dennis Patten has been named Distinguished Professor by the Office of the Provost. He will be honored at Illinois State University’s annual Founders Day Convocation on February 21.
Patten began teaching at Illinois State University in 1985 and since that time has risen through the ranks, becoming a full professor in 1997. He was named a University Professor in 2015, and has been recognized for his contributions numerous times over his tenure at Illinois State, including college and university research awards. He currently holds the College of Business’s Hobart and Marian Gardner Hinderliter Endowed Professorship.
Receiving numerous teaching awards at the department, college, and university levels over his 34 years at Illinois State, Patten teaches both undergraduate and graduate accounting courses and was one of the first volunteers to teach the university-wide Foundations of Inquiry (critical thinking) course.
Patten has published 70 refereed journal articles, eight of which are in the highest tier of academic accounting research journals. His research in corporate, social, and environmental disclosure has significantly influenced the sustainability accounting discipline. He has given invited presentations and has served as a plenary speaker at conferences around the world. Patten has served on the editorial board for eight academic journals.
With service spanning departmental, college, university, and professional levels, Patten has also advised registered student organizations, served on department and college faculty status committees, and helped recruit faculty. He also served four years on the Council of General Education, including one year as chair. He and a colleague hosted the sixth North American Congress on Social and Environmental Accounting Research conference in Normal. He frequently engages with emerging scholars in his field and serves as a mentor for younger faculty.
Patten received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Illinois State University in 1978 and 1982 respectively. He completed his doctorate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1987.
