UWM Lubar School of Business Establishes CPA-in-Residence Career Advisor Program
College students preparing for a professional career in accounting face a host of important decisions that will have a significant impact on their future careers. These critical decisions are driven by a number of factors, including the 150 credit requirement to sit for the CPA exam, the growing importance of internships, and increased professional opportunities for accounting graduates.
In response to these developments, the Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has established a new program that helps accounting students connect current decisions to their future careers.
The Lubar School’s CPA-in-Residence Program pairs a seasoned accounting executive with undergraduate and graduate accounting students at critical junctures in their accounting studies.
“We want our students to maximize their potential in the accounting field,” said Professor Paul Fischer, chairman of the accounting area, “This program is key to ensuring that they become highly qualified CPAs who can contribute to Wisconsin business.”
By providing one-on-one career mentoring at key decision points, Fischer said, the CPA-in-Residence Program strives to achieve a unique balance between a major university’s academic power and individual student professional planning.
The primary mission of the program is to guide qualified undergraduate accounting students into the MS in Professional Accounting Program, and then through to the timely completion of the CPA exam.
Based on each students’ goals, preferences, and strengths, the CPA-in-Residence is able to share individualized information about the various career options in accounting, as well as where their choices might lead them ten or fifteen years after graduating. The program also sponsors workshops for students on a variety of topics related to the accounting profession.
Ellis Jordan , a retired partner at Deloitte with over 32 years of experience in professional accounting -- and 1970 graduate of UWM’s accounting program -- is serving as the Lubar School’s first CPA-in-Residence.
“The process to become a CPA has become more complicated and time-consuming,” said Ellis. “I’m delighted to provide a context for our next generation of accounting professionals that will help steer them in their career decisions and their progression to becoming a CPA.”
2006-07 marks the 40 th anniversary of UWM’s Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business. With close to 22,000 alumni and numerous corporate knowledge partners, the Lubar School is a major source of management knowledge in Southeastern Wisconsin. The Lubar School offers a full array of accredited undergraduate and graduate programs, including a BBA. MBA, MS, Executive MBA, and PhD. More information on the Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business can be found at www.uwm.edu/Business or by calling (414) 229-4235.
