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Another year adds up to more success stories for the Canisius College Accounting Department. Kay J. Hashimoto MBAPA ’09 received the prestigious American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Elijah Watt Sells Award. The award is presented annually to candidates who obtain the 10 highest cumulative scores on all four sections of the computerized Uniform CPA Examination. The 2009 award is unique because multiple candidates received identical cumulative scores. This resulted in a tie and increased the total number of winners to 15. More than 93,000 individuals sat for the 2009 CPA exam, which is the most recent exam cycle published by the National Association of the State Boards of Accountancy. Hashimoto is a 2009 graduate of the Canisius College Master of Business in Professional Accounting Program. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Harvard University. “The accounting education I received at Canisius gave me an excellent foundation upon which to study for the CPA exam,” says Hashimoto, who is employed at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City. “The clear presentation of relevant, upto-date topics by my professors at Canisius, along with my diligent and methodical preparation for the CPA exam shortly after, enabled me to master accounting concepts and go into each exam very well prepared.” The AICPA created the Elijah Watt Sells Award in 1923. Sells was one of the country’s first CPAs under the provision of a New York State law enacted in 1896, and a leader in advancing professional education. Hashimoto is one of several Canisius alumni who sat for the 2009 CPA exam and contributed to the college’s overall high pass rate percentages in New York State. This group scored the highest pass rate percentage (70.8 percent) in New York State, on the auditing portion of the exam. Canisius alumni also had the fourth highest pass rate percentage (51.9 percent) in New York on the financial accounting and reporting section of the CPA exam, and the fourth highest pass rate percentage (61.3 percent) on the regulation section. “These results speak to the quality of instruction students receive in the accounting program,” said Joseph B. O’Donnell, PhD, chair of the Accounting Department.“I am proud of these recent graduates and our dedicated faculty who, together, continue our tradition of producing graduates who excel on the CPA exam and in their professional careers.” The results are based on schools that had 20 or more candidates sit for the sections of the exam, according to the National Association of the State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).
Business School Gets AACSB Stamp of Approval The Richard J. Wehle School of Business maintained AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation of its undergraduate and graduate business degree programs. The AACSB is the premier accreditation body for institutions that offer undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees in business and accounting. Less than five percent of business schools, worldwide, earn AACSB accreditation. To maintain AACSB accreditation, a business program must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years. During this review, the program is required to demonstrate its continued commitment to 21 quality standards related to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, and a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs. “It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation,” says Antone F. Alber, PhD, dean of the Wehle School of Business. “Everyone from the deans to faculty and staff must make a commitment to the ongoing improvement of quality instruction and the continued delivery of high-quality education to students.” The Richard J. Wehle School of Business offers majors in nine different areas.
Foster Named Associate VP for Academic Affairs Canisius College named Blair W. Foster associate vice president for academic affairs. In addition to this promotion, Foster retains his position as registrar, responsible for the Office of Student Records and Registration, the Office of Student Success and Retention, the Student Advisement Office and the Career Center. “Blair’s promotion recognizes his continuously expanding responsibilities and the strategic importance of the areas he manages,” Blair W. Foster says Scott A. Chadwick, PhD, vice president for academic affairs. “Our efforts to integrate student recruitment, advisement and retention through seamless data systems would not be possible without his exemplary leadership.” Foster is a member of President John J. Hurley’s Senior Operating Team, the Long Range Strategic Planning Committee and the Academic Program Board. He previously served as dean of academic records and registrar at Canisius. Foster is a graduate of Heidelberg College in Tiffin, OH.
C ANI SIUS COLLEGE M AGA ZINE • WINTER 2011
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