Alumna is tops in NY, and in the nation

Medical researchers haven’t discovered it yet, but it’s entirely possible that there is an accounting gene.

At the very least, an affinity for the field seems to run in the bloodline of one recent alumna.

Lauren Silberman ’13 says she became interested in the field of accounting because both her father and brother are certified public accountants (CPAs).

Silberman recently became one of a handful of young accountants, and the fourth in four years from Lehigh, to earn the Elijah Watts Sells Award for outstanding performance on the Uniform CPA Examination.

According to the website of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), which develops the exam, the Sells Award is given to those who pass all four sections of the CPA exam on their first attempt and in the same sitting. Successful candidates must also achieve a cumulative average score greater than 95.50 across all four sections.

More than 94,000 individuals sat for the 2013 Uniform CPA Examination, the website says. Fifty-five of them qualified for the Sells Award.

The AICPA created the Sells Award in 1923. The award is named for one of the founders of the AICPA and one of the founding partners of Haskins and Sells, a predecessor of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Earning gold in New York State

Silberman further distinguished herself by winning the Charles Waldo Haskins Gold Award for achieving the highest score on the CPA exam—390 out of 400—in the state of New York. That award, given by the New York State Society of CPAs, is named for the first NYSSCPA president, who advocated the licensing of CPAs and the establishment of the CPA exam.

“When I started taking accounting classes at Lehigh, it came pretty naturally to me and the concepts were easy to grasp,” said Silberman, who is today is putting those concepts to use in the alternative investments assurance group at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Like Deloitte, PwC is one of the four largest professional service firms in the United States.

“It is an exciting job as I get to work on clients such as hedge funds, fund of funds, etc.,” Silberman said. “I have had the opportunity to learn about the business of my clients, the alternative investment industry, and the risks and responsibilities involved in performing an audit.

“PwC is very team-oriented, which allows me to work with, and learn from, some of the most intelligent people in the industry.”

Parveen P. Gupta, the Clayton Distinguished Professor of Accounting and chair of the department of accounting, recalls Silberman as “a committed individual who was very, very focused on the education she was receiving.

“Lauren had the right focus,” Gupta said. “There are many extracurricular activities that you can be involved in at Lehigh and I always tell my students that these activities mean nothing if your academics are not great. They are sort of a nice topping on a cake.”

Silberman, a former officer in the Lehigh Accounting Club, is the fourth Lehigh accounting graduate to earn the Sells Award. Previous winners include Paul Zimbardo ‘09 and Christopher Schoell ’09, who in 2010 became the first graduates of Lehigh’s accounting department to receive the prestigious Award. A year later, Megan Cody ‘10 became the third.

“An uncompromising focus on learning”

Gupta attributes the success of Lehigh’s accounting alums to several factors.

“I take a great deal of pride in our students and faculty,” he said. “We do attract brighter undergraduates. There is a perception that the accounting major is the toughest major in the business college.

“Once we are able to attract the best and brightest, we offer them a tremendous learning experience and a plethora of co-curricular activities. We provide a very rigorous curriculum. And, I take special pride in our advising to the majors—both academic and career advising.

“It is that combination that is producing this type of stellar performance in our students. There is an uncompromising focus on our accounting majors’ learning and professional development by accounting faculty who are thought leaders through their research and scholarship in the problems facing the accounting profession today.”

Silberman echoed Gupta’s enthusiasm.

“The accounting and business professors at Lehigh were wonderful,” she said. “They were passionate while teaching and about their careers in the business world.”

Silberman is already looking to the future and the new skills she will master.

“I am a firm believer that we should all learn something new every day,” she said. “So far, each day has been a new and exciting experience for me.

“I hope to continue learning throughout my career and see what opportunities come my way.”


Story by Jennifer Marangos