Ellen Lippman

UP Accounting Team Takes Second Place In National Competition

January 4, 2016

A team of University of Portland students finished second in the 2015 AICPA Accounting Competition, held recently in Durham, North Carolina. The UP students’ finish earned a $3,000 award for the University, and the team received a $10,000 award to be split among team members.

The team consisted of students Isaac Mansuetti, Lance Chee, and Connor Ward, all juniors, and UP accounting professor Ellen Lippman, who served as faculty advisor. UP accounting teams have entered the competition twice, taking first with a team of four seniors and this year’s second place finish with three juniors.

Fifty-seven student teams entered the competition and were whittled down to 15 semi-final teams. Those teams received an additional challenge and submitted a video plan, which was reviewed by a panel of judges and voted on by the public (which included votes by UP faculty, staff, and students). The three teams with the best proposals and highest grades made it to the finals to present in person in Durham.

The competition was hosted on the AICPA’s ThisWayToCPA website, which provides tools, articles, and resources to accounting students and CPA Exam candidates.

For more information contact the Pamplin School of Business at 7224 or bus-up@up.edu.

2015 Faculty Awards

May 11, 2015

The University’s 2015 Faculty Awards were presented on Tuesday, May 5, at the Faculty Awards Dinner, with the following results:

The James Culligan Award, established in 1953 in memory of a dedicated servant of the University and presented annually to a faculty member in recognition of distinguished service, was presented to Norah Martin, philosophy. She was noted as “a wonderful teacher, a creative and wide-ranging scholar, a consummate voice for reason and judgement in every imaginable area, a model of selfless service,” and much more. Winners of the Culligan Award wear the medal with their academic regalia, as a sign of the University’s highest faculty honor.
The Deans’ Award for Faculty Leadership, presented annually to a tenured faculty member who exemplifies, in an extraordinary way, the qualities of teaching and scholarship described in the University’s Articles of Administration for appointment, advancement in rank, and tenure, was presented to Ellen Lippman, Pamplin School of Business.
The Outstanding Teaching Award, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who is a particular exemplar of the University’s commitment to superb teaching, was presented to Mark Pitzer, psychological sciences.
The Outstanding Scholarship Award, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who presents unusually significant and meritorious achievement in professional scholarship during the past two academic years, and whose work substantively enhances the effectiveness of his or her classroom teaching, was presented to Martin Monto, sociology and social work.

For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or provost@up.edu.

UP Accounting Team Advances to National Finals

January 19, 2015

Four University of Portland accounting students won the regional round of the KPMG Case Competition in Chicago this past weekend. The team, made up of Erika Schlotfeldt, Jessie Robinson, Emily Glaser, and Courtney Lemon, beat teams from University of Missouri, University of Illinois, University of Washington, DePaul, Colorado State, and Wisconsin. The UP accounting team will now travel to New York at the end of February for the U.S. finals, where it will compete against other regional teams, including Howard University, Boston College, and University of Michigan.

The UP accounting team took first place in a KPMG accounting competition leading up to its Chicago appearance, beating three teams from University of Oregon and Oregon State University.

For more information on the University of Portland accounting program and competitive accounting teams, contact Ellen Lippman, business administration, at 7268 or lippman@up.edu.

Accounting Students Heading To Chicago For Competition

December 22, 2014

Four University of Portland accounting students took first place in a KPMG Accounting Competition against other Oregon schools. The students – seniors Erika Schlotfeldt and Jessie Robinson and juniors Emily Glaser and Courtney Lemon – placed ahead of teams from University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University. The UP team will now compete in the semi-finals, which will be held in mid-January in Chicago.

For the competition, the team had 48 hours to evaluate a case before presenting a 20 minute presentation to a panel of judges. The presentation was followed by a 10 minute session of questions from the judges.

For more information on the University of Portland accounting program and competitive accounting teams, contact Ellen Lippman, business administration, at 7268 or lippman@up.edu.

Professor Promotions

April 28, 2014

The provost’s office has announced the following faculty promotions, according to Thomas Greene, provost:

Ellen Lippman (pictured), promoted to professor, business
Richard Christen, promoted to professor, education
John Orr, promoted to professor, English
Jeffery Gauthier, promoted to professor, philosophy.

For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or staten@up.edu.

UP Accounting Teams On Winning Streak

April 21, 2014

Four 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.

This latest UP accounting program victory comes on the heels of a national first place finish for the Competitive Pilots Accountants team. In December 2013, four UP accounting students won the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Accounting Competition in Washington, D.C. Seniors Martin McMahon, Ingrid Nelson, Michelle Siegal, and Tyler Desmarais won $10,000 for their first place finish after being chosen as one of three finalist teams in the annual competition. They will also be honored by the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants (OSCPA) May 7th at their annual Circle of Excellence dinner.

For more information on the University of Portland accounting program and competitive accounting teams, contact team advisor Ellen Lippman, business administration, at 7268 or lippman@up.edu.

Competitive Pilot Accountants Win First Place Nationally

January 10, 2014

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, which won $10,000 its their first place finish, was 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.

The final competition, which was held Dec. 19-20, 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 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.

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.

For more information, contact faculty advisor Ellen Lippman at 7268 or lippman@up.edu.