The Rachlin Foundation-Harvey Miller Memorial Scholarship Fund will bestow a gift of $5,000 annually for the next five years-$25,000 total-to support students in the Fisher School of Accounting doctoral program. The fund, established in memory of Rachlin Cohen & Holtz senior partner and University of Florida alum Harvey Miller, is an investment in the future of the accounting profession.

Dr. Gary McGill, Director of the Fisher School of Accounting, will use the Rachlin Foundation's contribution each year to help recruit, develop and nurture a doctoral student in accounting. Each PhD graduate will then go on to touch the lives of several generations of accounting students and contribute to the profession through research, teaching and service.

A 1959 graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in accounting, Miller was recognized throughout the business community for his experience in financial reporting and strategic business planning. A senior partner at Rachlin LLP, Miller joined the firm in 1961. He was a member of their Executive Board, and he led the firm's Accounting, Audit and Tax Services Group as well as their New Business Development team.

For more than 44 years and until his death in August 2005, Harvey Miller served his clients with passion, integrity and excellence. It was not uncommon to hear his name associated with some of the most successful companies in South Florida. In 2004, Miller was named an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). That same year, he was honored at the 2004 Excellence in Accounting awards breakfast sponsored by the South Florida Business Journal.

Outside the firm, Miller's character was legendary. He was devoted to his family, the community and his friends. He was president of both Temple Judea and Hillel at the University of Miami. In addition, Miller was a member of the AICPA and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a long-term supporter of the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business and Fisher School of Accounting.

"In work and in life, Harvey treated everyone with equal respect," recalls Lawrence Blum, managing partner for MarcumRachlin. "He never missed an opportunity to welcome a new employee or sit with a member of the staff. Miller reminded those he touched that life was good. From him, one could learn much about the way life should be lived and business should be conducted."