Rafi Efrat receiving the award from Chrislynn Freed, co-chair of the CalCPA’s Accounting Education Committee. Photo courtesy of Efrat.

California State University, Northridge accounting professor Rafi Efrat has been given the 2014 Outstanding Educator Award by the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA).

The award was presented last month to Efrat, the director of CSUN’s Masters of Science in Taxation Program, in recognition of his demonstrated excellence in the field of accounting and for his innovative teaching methods.

University officials noted that Efrat is well regarded by his students.

“Great professor,” said one student in his end-of-semester evaluation of Efrat. “[He] has passion for helping his students learn complex topics conceptually by encouraging us to think for ourselves. [He] uses a very effective teaching method to help students develop a strong conceptual framework of the course. [He] made the subject material easy to learn through his enthusiastic and passionate attitude.”

Efrat said he was honored to receive the recognition from the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

“I feel blessed to have the opportunity to make an impact in the professional lives of my students,” he said. “Spending time in class and engaging my students on a deeper level is truly a joy for me.”

Efrat, who has taught at CSUN for the past 14 years, also received the 2013 Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest teaching honor given at CSUN.

Awards and Honors, College of Business and Economics