Faculty
Christine L. Kuglin, JD, LLM
Assistant Professor of Accounting
Degrees Held:
- Juris Doctorate (2018) and LLM in Taxation (2019) – University of Denver Sturm College of Law
- Master of Professional Accounting (2012) – MSU Denver
Career Highlights:
Before coming to Eastern Washington University, Christine taught accounting at three diverse, post-secondary universities in Denver, Colorado. She directed four Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites helping low-income, diverse families with tax preparation. She supervised and taught 75 graduate and undergraduate students to prepare 1,500 tax returns per year for multiple years. This integrated Graduate/Undergraduate Tax Program was awarded the Best Teaching Paper by the Small Business Institute in 2016. Christine received exemplary student evaluations documenting teaching effectiveness and was awarded Instructor of the Year by the College of Business, the Faculty Senate and the Student Honor Society in 2016 at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
In 2017, Christine took a two-year education sabbatical to pursue a Juris Doctorate in Corporate/Commercial Law and a post-doctoral degree of a Master of Laws in Taxation. In January 2019, Christine and her LLM colleague won the American Bar Association National Tax Championship for their written and oral evaluation of a tax problem featuring issues that resulted in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act.
Prior to pursuing teaching, Christine served as a NASA governmental grant accountant, managing up to $3,000,000 per year following federal, state, university and funding agency guidelines. She worked for 15 years in tax and accounting firms preparing thousands of tax returns and performing bookkeeping functions for numerous clients.
In addition to her degrees, Christine is licensed to practice law in Washington State, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and holds the designation of Enrolled Agent by the IRS.
In what ways do you connect with online students?
To teach online, I use many years of teaching experience to stay in constant contact with my students. I hold Zoom office hours, give out my personal cell if a student has an emergency and check email often. I use Zoom, Panopto recordings, Excel, Youtube, document cameras and many other tools to make my courses vibrant and dynamic.
What do you want your students to take away from class?
I want my students to come away from my class with a new appreciation for the decisions managers must make in evaluating operating budget, cost/profit analysis, international and national tax considerations and ethical considerations in making tough cost decisions. I want them to say, "I like accounting!" That is a win for me.
What is the value of an MBA in today's work environment?
I was 55 when I returned to school to earn my JD and LLM. I had a Master of Accounting degree. No amount of learning is too much in this world today. An MBA gives you the minimum amount of education you need to compete. You will be up against people like me—those who understand learning is a life-long process. You need an MBA to give you a true baseline knowledge in this competitive environment we face today.
What advice would you give to your online students?
Think of your MBA as a journey, not a goal. It will go so fast. You will meet interesting people. Learn as much as you can. Ask your professors questions. Be engaged. Don't waste one moment of this opportunity. You will look back on it and remember you worked hard, but you changed your life forever.
Why did you start teaching?
I started teaching because school was not easy for me. I had to work really hard in every degree I obtained. I knew I could make learning more fun and easier than it was often presented to me. I love to help people and this was a conduit where I could make a difference, but still be engaged in business - which is so much fun!
Links to multimedia:
What is the one book you think everyone should read?
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
What do you do when you need a laugh?
I must admit, I watch Better Call Saul. I am an attorney!
Tell us something interesting about yourself that your students might not know about you:
I am a grandmother, I love to cook and eat. I also walked 39.5 miles in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and raised over $5,000 when I was 45 years old!
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