GVSU community mourns death of longtime accounting professor

Grand Valley is mourning the death of Steve Goldberg, a longtime accounting professor and former director of the School of Accounting in the Seidman College of Business.

Goldberg died January 19 from an apparent cardiac event. He was 74.

“This is a deep loss for our GVSU community,” said President Philomena V. Mantella. “Steve’s passion for teaching and his students was well known. Our community benefited from his talents and his presence, and he will be missed. My deep condolences to his wife, Doreen, and family.”

Diana Lawson, dean of the Seidman College of Business, said during his tenure at Grand Valley, Goldberg made valuable and impactful contributions in many areas, including academic scholarship, serving on a variety of committees, leading the School of Accounting and serving on Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation review teams.

“His greatest contribution was to our students,” said Lawson. “Steve taught a variety of courses, but he seemed most excited about developing and delivering the accounting ethics course. We will miss our dear friend and colleague. My deepest condolences to his family and all those who worked with him.”

Goldberg came to Grand Valley in 1996 as an associate professor of accounting and was promoted to professor in 2001. He served as chair of the Department of Accounting & Tax from 2003-2008, and as director of the School of Accounting from 2008-2010 and from 2017-2018.

In 2007, Goldberg won the Glen A. Niemeyer Outstanding Faculty Award, and in 1996 and 1997, he won the Excellence in Research Award from the Seidman College of Business. Goldberg was an active member of the AACSB Accounting Continuous Improvement Peer Review Team.

“Steve was a great friend, a wonderful colleague, and most importantly, a good man,” said Cheryl Dunn, professor and interim director of the School of Accounting. “He worked very hard to enhance the reputation of the School of Accounting and Grand Valley, and worked with leaders in the community (many of them former students) to ensure that our programs stay relevant and of high quality.”

Goldberg earned a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Wisconsin, an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from DePaul University.

A private family service will be held January 25, 2021. The funeral can be viewed here.