Philadelphia University for the third year will host Reebok’s All American Camp for the nation’s premier high school basketball players July 7 to 10, a showcase of talent expected to draw the top college coaches, NBA scouts and sports media outlets in the country.

Some 130 of the nation’s best high school hoops players from 28 states will attend the three-day camp, which will be held in The Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center. The highlight of the camp will be the All-Star game on Fri. July 10 at 7 p.m., pitting the nation’s best players against each other. 

“We are pleased to be partnering with Reebok for the third year in a row to host this premier basketball camp,” said Thomas Shirley, director of athletics and head women’s basketball coach. “Our terrific facilities and longstanding tradition of basketball success make Philadelphia University a great fit to host the top 130 high school players and top coaches in the country – it’s a win-win situation for Reebok, the players and for the University.”

The camp will feature some of the most talented men’s high school basketball players in the country and will serve as a hotbed of recruiting talent for college coaches including UConn’s Jim Calhoun, Louisville’s Rick Pitino and UNC’s Roy Williams.

Philadelphia University was chosen once again to host the event because of its state-of-the-art facilities, intimate setting and central location in a major city.

The camp is open to the public July 8 to July 10. The doors will be open each day from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $10 per day. The Gallagher Athletic Center is located just west of the PhilaU campus’ main intersection at 4201 Henry Avenue in Philadelphia (Henry Ave and School House Lane).  For more information, please contact Sarah Punderson, PhilaU sports information director, at pundersons@philau.edu.

Philadelphia University kicked off its 125th anniversary celebration with an exciting on-campus performance of the famed Philadelphia Orchestra in the Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center.  More than 1800 faculty, staff, students, alumni, neighbors, supporters and other friends of the University attended the event on Saturday, June 27.

“Philadelphia University was pleased to share this special occasion marking our 125th anniversary with another great Philadelphia institution - The Philadelphia Orchestra,” said Philadelphia University President Stephen Spinelli Jr., Ph.D.

The 2009 Neighborhood Concert series continues The Philadelphia Orchestra’s commitment to celebrating the vitality of neighborhoods throughout the Philadelphia region, bringing the Orchestra into communities in a variety of settings, and introducing the world-renowned ensemble to new audiences.

Philadelphia Orchestra Associate Conductor Rossen Milanov conducts a program that features music of Brahms, Mendelssohn, Verdi and Wagner.

“We were very pleased to help Philadelphia University celebrate its 125th anniversary with a concert on their campus,” said Philadelphia Orchestra Executive Director Frank Slattery. “These concerts would not be possible without the generous sponsorship of our good partner, Wachovia. We are grateful for their sixth year of support of our Neighborhood Concert series.”

Philadelphia University is planning a series of events and activities to celebrate the 125th anniversary. More information on the history of Philadelphia University, the University today and the bold ideas that will drive Philadelphia University into the future will be provided in the coming months.

Philadelphia University’s School of Business’ Graduate Business Programs, in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service, hosted the annual “Eastern PA Working Together Conference” to educate and update professional tax practitioners on issues of tax administration.

The Working Together Program promotes the positive, ongoing relationship between the tax-practitioner community and two taxing agencies, the Internal Revenue Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

The annual meeting, open to both IRS and Department of Revenue employees and the practitioner community, has become a “mark-your-calendar event” for many Pennsylvania tax professionals. The intent is to engage in ongoing, meaningful dialogue aimed at improving our dealings with one another, thereby improving service to our common customer ― the taxpaying public.

“We are pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with the IRS,” said C. Andrew Lafond, assistant professor of taxation in the School of Business Administration. “The success of the Working Together Conference each year is a testament to the strength of our academic programs.”

This year’s conference, held May 20 in the Ravenhill Dining Hall, included substantive panel discussions of significant issues of tax administration and their impact on tax professionals.

Discussion topics included:

• The 2009 exam program and priorities
• Representation before the IRS Field Collection Function and various options to protect clients’ interests while meeting IRS procedural requirements
• Current topics and issues impacting tax professionals and their business and individual clients
• Automated Underreporter Program (CP-2000), Correspondence Audits, Automated Collection System and the IRS Practitioner Priority Service
• Final IRC 6694 Preparer Penalty regulations, IRS 7216 disclosure and use regulations and Circular 230 issues
• Voluntary disclosure procedures involving foreign bank accounts and transactions
• What’s new in tax administration for tax professionals

Participants received eight hours in Continuing Professional Education credits and six hours in CLE credits.

Along with Philadelphia University Graduate Business Program, sponsors for the Working Together Conference included the Internal Revenue Service, Pennsylvania (PA) Department of Revenue, PA Institute of Certified Public Accountants, PA Society of Public Accountants, PA Society of Enrolled Agents, Philadelphia Bar Association Tax Section, PA Bar Association Tax Law Section and the PA National Association of Tax Professionals.

The conference is one of the many offerings of PhilaU’s M.S. in Taxation Program, which prepares students for entry into professional tax practice in both the public and private sectors. For more information on the M.S. in Taxation, go to www.PhilaU.edu/mstax/.

The Philadelphia University Women’s Rowing Eight team placed fourth overall in the NCAA Division II Grand Final Eights Sunday, May 31 at the NCAA women’s rowing championships at Cooper River Park in Camden County. The Lady Rams finished behind winner Western Washington University by less than two seconds. view pictures

The Lady Rams won the repechage (semi-finals) Saturday, May 30 to enter into the grand finals.

The Women’s Rowing Four team placed third Saturday, May 30 in the repechage to end their NCAA run.

Click here for a full list of results.

Congratulations, Lady Rams!

Philadelphia University Textile Design students won six of nine Virginia Jackson Design Awards, winning two prizes in each category of jacquard, dobby and print.

Boyoung Moon won first place and Amanda McGonagle won honorable mention in the dobby category. Jennifer Sulikowski won second place and Nidhi Reddy Kasula won honorable mention in the jacquard category. And, in the print category, Hyunjin Shin won second place and Lei Ting won honorable mention.

The annual Virginia Jackson Design Awards competition is sponsored by the Educational Foundation of the International Textile Market Association (ITMA), which is producer of the semi-annual Showtime fabric show. “We are always thrilled by the excellence of the entries we receive,” said Catherine Morsell, executive director of ITMA.

The entries are judged on aesthetic form, ability to be manufactured and applicability to furniture products. The winning designs will be displayed at the Showtime event, which will take place June 7 to 10 in High Point, N.C. 

“The ITMA Virginia Jackson Design Competition provides a great opportunity for our textile design students to test their skills against those of their peers from other universities,” said Macia Weiss, assistant professor of Textile Design. “The results  illustrate the depth and breadth of talent among our students.”

Each winner receives a monetary award and each first-place winner’s school also receives a $1,000 donation to its textile design department. In addition, all expenses are paid for first-place winners to attend the Showtime event, where they will be honored and meet with industry officials.

The strong showing by the Philadelphia University students came in a year that the annual competition received its most entries ever. In total, 79 entries were received from including schools such as Rhode Island School of Design, North Carolina State University and University of Georgia.