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Mark A. Wolfson

Mark A. Wolfson
Consulting Professor, Accounting
Contact Info
MarkA.Wolfson
Consulting Professor in Accounting and Finance
Academic Area: 
Accounting

Research Statement

Before becoming an investment professional, Mark published extensively on subjects ranging from the financial structure of, and incentive arrangements in, business organizations; to taxes and business strategy; to the effect of information disclosures on the valuation of financial claims. He has won research awards in each of these areas. His current interests, in addition to those stated above, include the industrial organization of the global private equity and investment management industries. He currently teaches a course on investment management.

Bio

Mark A. Wolfson holds the title of Consulting Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he has been a faculty member since 1977, including a term as Associate Dean, and formerly held the title of Dean Witter Professor. He has also taught at the Harvard Business School and the University of Chicago and has been a Visiting Scholar at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Dr. Wolfson has been a Research Associate at The National Bureau of Economic Research since 1988 and serves on the Board of Advisors and Executive Committee of The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and is an Advisor to the Investment Committee of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Mark is a Founder and Managing Partner of Jasper Ridge Partners, a wealth management firm, and a Senior Advisor to Oak Hill Capital Management (OHCM), a private equity firm. He has served on the Boards of Directors of numerous public and private companies.

Academic Degrees

  • PhD, University of Texas, Austin, 1977
  • MAS, 1974
  • BS, University of Illinois, 1973

Academic Appointments

  • Consulting Professor and Former Professor and Associate Dean, 1977-present
  • Thomas Henry Carroll-Ford Foundation Visiting Professor of Business Administration, Harvard University, 1988-1989
  • Ford Foundation Visiting Associate Professor, University of Chicago, 1981-1982

Professional Experience

  • Founder and Managing Partner: Jasper Ridge Partners
  • Senior Advisor: Oak Hill Capital Management
  • Research Associate: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1988

Awards and Honors

  • Wildman Medal, 1991
  • Notable Contribution Award (one given annually by AAA/AICPA) to Accounting Literature, 1989 and 1992
  • Distinguished Teaching Award, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 1990
  • Pomerance Prize (CBOE) for Excellence in Options Research, 1981

Publications

Journal Articles

Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Investment Management. 2013, Vol. 11, Issue 4.
Srikant Datar, Richard Frankel, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Law, Economics and Organization. 2001, Vol. 17, Issue 1, Pages 201-238.
Mary E. Barth, William H. Beaver, Mark A. Wolfson. Financial Analysts Journal. 1990, Vol. 46, Issue 3, Pages 53-60.
Myron S. Scholes, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Financial Economics. September 1989, Vol. 24, Issue 1, Pages 7–35.
William H. Beaver, Carol Eger, Stephen Ryan, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Accounting Research. 1989, Vol. 27, Issue 2, Pages 157-178.
Joel S. Demski, James M. Patell, Mark A. Wolfson. Accounting Review. 1984, Vol. 59, Issue 1, Pages 16-34.
M. Laurentius Marais, James M. Patell, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Accounting Research. 1984, Vol. 22, Pages 87-114.
James M. Patell, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Financial Economics. 1984, Vol. 13, Issue 2, Pages 223--252.
James M. Patell, Roman L. Weil, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Legal Studies. 1982, Vol. 11, Issue 2, Pages 341-364.
James M. Patell, Mark A. Wolfson. Accounting Review. 1982, Vol. 57, Issue 3, Pages 509-527.
James M. Patell, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Accounting Research. 1981, Vol. 19, Issue 2, Pages 434-458.
James M. Patell, Mark A. Wolfson. Journal of Accounting and Economics. 1979, Vol. 1, Issue 2, Pages 117-140.

Books

Myron S. Scholes, Mark A. Wolfson, Merle Erickson, Michelle Hanlon, Edward Maydew, Terry Shevlin Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2015.

Courses Taught

Degree Courses

2015-16

The course will be structured around the perspective of a high net worth individual who has decided to devote substantial resources to philanthropy and wishes to decide which philanthropic goals to pursue and how best to achieve them. Although...

2014-15

We will explore selected topics including: the roles of the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors in society; the justifications for tax-subsidized philanthropy; whether giving to the poor is morally obligatory or discretionary; barriers to the...

2013-14

This course covers strategic and tactical asset allocation in investment portfolios as well as specific asset and manager selection issues. We consider challenges that are unique to the various asset classes that comprise broad-based portfolios,...

Service to the Profession

  • Advisor to the Investment Committee, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
  • Executive Committee, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research