Trulakse professor brings a Cheetos-and-peanut-butter approach to the classroom

While those who are drawn to accounting are often viewed as strict adherents to logic, reason and convention, Chris Prestigiacomo, an associate teaching professor in the School of Accountancy at the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, isn’t afraid to look at the basics from a whole new perspective. Case in point: his famed “secret ingredient” peanut butter sandwich. 

Vairam Arunachalam, Trulaske’s PwC/Silvoso distinguished professor and associate dean for partnerships and engagement, happened to spot Prestigiacomo eating this avant-garde culinary creation at his desk one day.

“When he saw me eating an open-faced peanut butter sandwich with Cheetos on top, he was incredulous,” Prestigiacomo said. “He took a photo and threatened to tell Carol (my wonderful wife) what I was eating. For Christmas this year, Vairam received a loaf of bread, jar of Skippy peanut butter and a bag of Cheetos.”

While he’s found the perfect recipe for building a great peanut butter sandwich, Prestigiacomo said he’s still searching for the right combination of ingredients for classroom instruction —though sharing real-world examples is a great foundation.

“The more I can bring the material to life with personal examples, the more it sticks,” he said. “I’m constantly bringing up examples like buying concert tickets for Carol and I as an illustration for both Unearned Revenue and Prepaid Expenses.”

Prestigiacomo traces his love of numbers back to keeping score while watching Kansas City Athletics baseball games as a young boy. He followed that love of numbers to Trulaske, where he earned his BSBA, MBA and PhD. In 1990, the student became the teacher, as Prestigiacomo joined the faculty in Trulaske’s School of Accountancy.

“It was surreal,” he said. “I never would have predicted a career in academia when I was a student here.”

That career in academia has spanned decades and launched numerous Trulaske students on the path toward fulfilling careers in accounting. It also earned Prestigiacomo the University of Missouri’s prestigious William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence in 2024.

“Dr. P, as he is known among legions of students, is known for his teaching excellence, mentorship, and caring for students,” Arunachalam said.

Prestigiacomo credits Trulaske’s faculty, staff and students for keeping him energized throughout teaching career. 

“It’s been such a blessing,” he said. “In all these years, there’s never been a day I didn’t want to go to work.”

Prestigiacomo also finds a sense of joy and purpose in serving others.

“Carol and I begin each day with a prayer that God will let us know how to serve Him,” he said. “We are all called on to serve others like Jesus did.  And we’ve found that doing so brings great joy.”

Prestigiacomo teaches incoming students that while shortcuts can save time, they do so at the expense of learning. He also notes the importance of helping young professionals to learn how to use AI responsibly.

“We at Trulaske are learning [to use AI] right along with our students,” he said. “In that process, we share opportunities with our students to use AI, when it’s appropriate, how to verify its output, and when to put it away and rely on their grey matter to learn fundamentals.”

Though it might seem like a contradiction, Prestigiacomo encourages student to take a big-picture view of the classroom material, while also holding onto a “handful of valuable nuggets.” 

“These may be concepts of particular relevance to them or something they never thought about before and consider it interesting,” he said. “If they do that in every college class they take, that will contribute to their human capital and make them more valuable in the job market.”

Graduates of the School of Accountancy often cite Prestigiacomo’s unexpected balance between big-picture learning and targeted concepts as being a pivotal point in their education. 

It’s an unlikely combination that, somehow, just works. Kind of like peanut butter and Cheetos.

Mizzou’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business prepares students for success as global citizens, business leaders, scholars, innovators and entrepreneurs by providing access to transformative technologies, offering experience-centered learning opportunities and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset.