Joshua Ollenberger — 2007 business administration
BA 2007, business administration major, accounting and finance emphases
As a former goalkeeper for the Sunbird men’s soccer team, campus resident, leadership student and business major, Josh Ollenberger has experienced the value of an FPU education. Admitting that it changed his own opinion of the “bottom line” and seeing the value of continued investment, he not only continues to help with the soccer team by coaching, he also established an accounting scholarship immediately upon graduation. Since the company for which he works, Wiebe and Associates, CPA, LLP, matches employees donations, his investment is doubled and so is the financial impact he is making in the lives of students.
“The most important thing I gained from my time at FPU is a view of the business world that differs from that of others. During my time at FPU I was challenged to look at the world in general and especially the business world in a more Christian way. I was challenged to not look only at the monetary bottom line but also at the effect my actions and business decisions may have on others.
“From the first day in Introduction to Accounting, my mentor, Dean Gray, took an interest in not only my course work but my life as well. I have a relationship with him that extends beyond the classroom, and the amazing thing is that I see him taking the same interest in each of his students. The professors at FPU really make it a point to serve their students which makes their faith apparent in the classroom.
“In my last semester, I took Business Ethics with Ken Bandy. He informed the class that he did not feel it was possible to teach ethics, but instead would present us with real life and fictional situations and let us make our own decisions on how to ethically solve the problem. Although this is the only time I have ever heard an instructor say that they could not teach the subject, I came from that class better prepared for life. I had a better grasp on how I should conduct myself in the real business world.”
