News
- Over 30 colleges across the U.S. participate in the xTAX competition sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The FanTAXtic Four team of Erik Reeves, Tameka Hearn, Heather Fulton and Rob D'Angelo won this year's competition among VT teams. This team received a $1,000 cash prize.
- We again fielded three teams for the Goodman Accounting Challenge held each fall. The team comprised of Jennifer Comber, Jennifer Sanchez, Erica Robertson, and Will Demere placed fourth in the competition.
- We had 13 student teams compete in the Xtreme Tax case competition sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Bryan Cloyd and Melody Bizzell were the advisors to the three student teams. Unfortunately we did not win any of the big awards, but our students gained valuable experience and I think we improved over our first attempt.
- Kathy Caldwell Hale is pleased to have joined the Department of Accounting and Information Systems. Kathy was previously employed in the Educational Research and Evaluation Program Area within the School of Education. Prior to that, she had worked numerous years in the Graduate School.
- National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) became an official VT student organization in April.
- John Emery (ACIS ’86) and Angela Absher Emery (ACIS ’86), of Annandale, Va., have presented the Pamplin College of Business with a $255,000 gift to help create the John and Angela Emery Professorship for Accounting and Information Systems.
- A scholarship has been established to honor Frederick M. Richardson's many years of dedicated service to Virginia Tech students.
- Our Accounting program was ranked in the top 25 of Public Accounting Report's annual ranking of accounting programs.
- Ernest J. Pavlock, 77, professor emeritus of accounting and information systems, died on August 23, 2007.
Mark Your Calendar
- The 38th Annual Virginia Accounting and Auditing Conference will be held in Roanoke, Virginia on September 22 & 23, 2008 and in Virginia Beach, Virginia on November 20 & 21, 2008.
Faculty Achievements
- Greg Jenkins and Patrick Fan are developing fraud detection software based on textual analysis.
- France Belanger was promoted to the rank of professor.
- Sam Hicks headed a team that received a grant this fall from the Deloitte Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to develop international accounting problems and cases. Other members of the team include John Brozovsky and Patty Lobingier.
- Mitchell Oler joins our faculty.
- Steve Sheetz, Sarah ElShawarby, Kimberly Watkins and Nicholle Hams-Depaz participatee in the Global Text Project to help offer educational resources to students in disadvantaged countries at no cost.
Alumni Achievements
- Alumni help ACIS faculty to "Invent the Future".
- Theodore (Ted) Hanson, class of 1991 and CFO of Apex Systems, Inc. was selected as the #1 CFO of large private companies in Virginia Business Magazine/ Virginia Society of CPA's.
- Aimee Aryal, class of 1993, has ventured into a new area in response to a request from her 2-year-old daughter. "Mommy I want a book about the Hokie Bird." Aimee responded to her request by writing Hello, Hokie Bird and has now written a total of 45 children's books entitled Hello, appropriate mascot. Congratulations to Aimee.
- Robert Farrier, class of 1994, has moved across town, Edinburgh, Scotland, to join AEGON UK, formerly Scottish Equitable.
- William Lee Ross, class of 1958, is retired except for tax season when he works for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service.
- Susan Morris Culbertson, class of 1980, is now owner of Controllers, Etc. in Roanoke, VA.
- Shirley Edwards, class of 1982, spoke to undergraduates this past fall in the Wachovia Distinguished Speakers series. Shirley oversees Ernst & Young's audit practice in the Mid-Atlantic region. The topic of Shirley's speech was "Leadership: Managing for Success in Challenging Times."
- H. Keener Fry, Jr., class of 1981, has returned to a career in college athletics at the University of Wyoming.
- Andrea Podobnik, class of 2002, and Greg Michael, class of 2003, were married in 2006 and reside in Chesapeake, VA.
- John R. Brown, class of 1943, is now retired and living in a retirement community in Raleigh, NC.
- Kristen Lindsay, class of 2006, and Thomas G. Jones, class of 2005, were married in December 2006.
- Thomas N. Anderson, Jr., Ph.D., class of 1980 has joined UBS Financial Services as Senior Vice President - Investments.
