Canisius Accounting Students Expand Career Opportunities With SAP Recognition

November 20, 2016

Buffalo, NY - Forty-four (44) Canisius Accounting Information System (AIS) students earned SAP Student Recognition Awards in 2016 through successful completion of AIS coursework and the college’s membership in SAP University Alliances.  SAP is the worldwide leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions. Membership in SAP University Alliances enables the college to use SAP software for instructional purposes.

Canisius students earned the recognition by completing at least three of the four AIS program courses that contain significant SAP hands-on content. Thirty-three (33) of the award winners graduated in May 2016; eleven (11) students expect to graduate in May 2017. The AIS students were recognized for their accomplishments at AIS Career Panel on October 26, 2016.

“Professionals with SAP and ERP skills are in short supply and Canisius AIS students are expanding their career opportunities with knowledge gained in earning SAP recognition,” says Ian Redpath, JD, LLM, professor and chair of the college’s Accounting Department.  ”Students benefit from hands-on use of SAP software throughout the AIS program.”

The Canisius AIS Program is designed for students to gain the knowledge and skills required to bridge the gap between accounting and technology. A unique program, AIS started at Canisius in 2002. There are only 30 schools offering similar programs in the U.S. 

“From its inception, the AIS Program strived to reinforce concepts with state-of-the-art technology that expanded the career opportunities of our graduates,” adds Redpath.

Canisius accounting professors Joseph O’Donnell, PhD and James Goldstein, PhD, use SAP to apply accounting, business, and technology concepts in their AIS courses. While the AIS Program is the main focus of courses using SAP, undergraduate and graduate accounting students also become familiar with SAP software in AIS courses that are part of their respective accounting programs.

The Canisius University SAP Education Initiative began in the summer of 2013 when Canisius University joined SAP University Alliances. This start of the initiative is made possible through financial support and consultation with local businesses and individuals.  Current company sponsorsof the program include Curbell, Inc., Ernst and Young, Ivoclar Vivadent, Nexxus Point, IBM and Rich Products Corporation, as well as individual sponsorship from Tom MBA ’88 and Diane Bassanello.

For more information about the Canisius University AIS Program and SAP Student Recognition Awards, contact the Department of Accounting at (716) 888-2870 or visit http://www.canisius.edu/accounting-information-systems/program/.

The Accounting Information Systems Program is part of the Canisius University Richard J. Wehle School of Business, accredited by the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

The Canisius University Accounting Program is ranked Number 1 in New York State according to the CPA Exam. Canisius alumni ranked first (1st), overall, in New York State during the 2015 CPA exam cycle, with a 75 percent pass rate, among medium programs.

Canisius University is one of 28 Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States and the premier private university in Western New York.

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