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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) -– Students studying business at the University of California, Riverside finished in the top eight of 28 teams the 10th annual KPMG - Association of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting (ALPFA) Case Study Competition.

“In the first rounds of competition in Boston, we bested regional teams including UC Berkeley, University of Washington, University of Arizona and USC,” said David Stewart, dean of the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UC Riverside. “Getting to the finals of this national competition is an especially notable achievement and has enhanced the reputation of UCR, AGSM, and our accounting program.”

The UCR team consisted of five undergraduate students majoring in business administration including, Jose Hernandez, George Moreno, Ismaele Perez, Jacqueline Ugalde, and Lawrence Zhang, and one MBA student, Erin Peach, all from the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management.

Professors Michael Moore and Ted Mock served as faculty advisors for the team. Additional important coaching was provided by UCR professors Berry Mishra and Erik Rolland, KPMG’s Marco Aguirre and Dawna Mason, a former judge at the case study competition.

In the contest, the UCR students were asked to role-play an external audit team providing risk assessments for the audit committee of the pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co., Inc. and judged on their ability to provide critical risk assessments including finding relevant accounting issues.

“These are incredibly bright students and they have put UCR on the map with their performance,” said Stewart. “This is a great example of how we prepare our students for the real world.” The dean said the competition has already resulted in job opportunities to members of the team.

ALPFA is the leading professional association dedicated to enhancing opportunities for Latinos in the accounting and finance-related professions.

The KPMG/ALPFA competition has become a popular event that presents accounting, auditing and finance students with the challenge of resolving real-world business issues in a collegial and competitive environment.
The event was held August 9 and 10 in Boston. The team’s expenses were covered by KPMG, an international network of professional who provide audit, tax and advisory services.

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment of about 18,000 is expected to grow to 21,000 students by 2020. The campus is planning a medical school and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

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