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Four junior University of Portland accounting students took FIRST place in the KPMG Accounting Competition held April 5-6 at Seattle University! The students—Jessie Robinson, Mariana Karami, Erika Schlotfeldt, and Caitlin Deutch—beat out competitors from University of Washington, Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Seattle University, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Western Washington, and others. They will share a $3,000 prize for their efforts. The UP accounting program has participated in the annual competition for the past five years.

Students were given a case on Saturday morning and had three hours to research and prepare a presentation, complete with Powerpoint slides. Each team presented their analysis to four KPMG managers and partners to determine the winners. The case focused on accounting issues and business risk assessments.

A group of UPAA members attended a bankruptcy hearing on February 3rd and had the pleasure of conversing with Judge Perris!

Do you need help with taking a professional photo, creating a resume, or building your LinkedIn account? Come to AMF tomorrow night from 5-7pm in our new room, Franz 217. There will be free food! Come if you want to eat, socialize, or work on homework!

Four University of Portland students, under the team name Competitive Pilot Accountants, placed first in the national AICPA (American Institute of CPAs) Accounting Competition out of 145 teams. The University of Portland team, who won $10,000 with their first place finish, were one of three teams nationwide to be invited to Washington, D.C. as finalists for the competition. The other two schools joining the University of Portland were Santa Clara University and Southern Indiana University.

Senior accounting majors Martin McMahon (captain), Ingrid Nelson, Michelle Siegal, and Tyler Desmarais represented UP as the Competitive Pilot Accountants.

“We are all so proud of how well the team did during this entire competition,” Ellen Lippman, team advisor and associate professor of accounting, said. “The level of competition here was unbelievably tough, but the judges were very impressed with the University of Portland team.”

According to Lippman, the judges commented on the team’s creative solution to the problem, their teamwork in answering the judge’s questions, as well as the detailed analysis they presented.

The final competition, which was held Dec. 19-21, gave the top three teams, along with each team’s advisor, a trip to Washington, D.C., to present their case to an executive panel of judges.

“The competition has been an incredibly valuable learning experience,” McMahon said. “The nature of the competition requires us to use skills and knowledge we’ve learned in accounting, tax, business law, and personal financial planning courses at UP.”

The University of Portland team passed the semifinal round by creating a video and having its accompanying spreadsheets and memo critiqued by the competition’s judges. There was also a public vote, which consisted of 10% of the team’s score. The UP team received 718 votes from the public.

“The team has improved in areas such as time management, communication, group participation, and report writing skills, all which we can carry forward into public accounting careers,” McMahon said.

For the fourth annual competition, a total of 145 teams analyzed a specific problem and prepared a written solution. The scenario involved a fictional 24-year old who has come up with an idea for a mobile app focused on live music shows. The collegiate teams helped take control of his finances and plan to pay off his debt quickly. After analyzing different scenarios, the team presented its findings through a written recommendation. The UP team must now complete additional work and present a film based on its recommendation.

“We chose personal financial planning as the topic for this year’s competition to expose students to the experience of advising a client on their financial affairs,” said Rebecca Mahler, AICPA Senior Manager of College & University Initiatives. “In addition to gaining exposure to in-demand accounting skills, students will have an opportunity to develop their presentation and interview skills while working in a team dynamic – all of which will be extremely useful as they begin their careers.”

For more information, contact faculty advisor Ellen Lippman at (503) 943-7268 or lippman@up.edu.