Patricia Abels Honored with International Teaching Excellence Award

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), www.acbsp.org, recently announced that Patricia Abels, D.B.A., CPA, associate professor of business at The University of Findlay, has received the 2012 International Teaching Excellence Award.

The announcement was made at a “Salute to Regions Luncheon” held June 17 during the ACBSP Annual Conference in Baltimore. As the 2012 Teaching Excellence Award recipient for ACBSP Region 4, Abels was honored with other regional recipients, each of whom received a medallion and a $100 check.

From that group, two International Teaching Excellence Award recipients were announced, one from a baccalaureate/graduate degree-granting institution and one from an associate degree-granting institution. Abels received the International Award, representing baccalaureate/graduate degree institutions, and was presented with an engraved plaque and a $500 check.

Paul Sears, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business, wrote of Abels: “One of the initiatives that exemplifies Dr. Abel’s pioneering spirit as an educator is her piloting of a new opportunity for students in accounting (as well as finance and economics) to obtain a CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certificate as part of our undergraduate and graduate academic programs. The opportunity for a student to earn a CMA license, as well as an academic business degree, will help our graduates stand out, provide them with a tangible skill set valued by employers and help demonstrate the quality of our academic program.”

Last year, The University of Findlay’s Josephine Kershaw, Ph.D., associate professor of health care management, was selected as the international award recipient.

“It is more important than ever for business programs to produce graduates who are ready to enter the global marketplace,” said Douglas Viehland, ACBSP executive director. “ACBSP has a mission to develop, promote and recognize best practices that contribute to continuous improvement of business education. Recognition of teaching excellence is one way we achieve this goal,” he stated.