Academics and Research / Campus & Community / Magazine Feature

Tax team wins championship

In what’s becoming something of a tradition, the University of Denver’s Graduate Tax Program is celebrating another championship win at the 2007 Deloitte Tax Case Study National Competition, which took place in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 16–18.

Team adviser Professor Edward Roche says the team worked hard to get ready and handled the stressful competition well.

“I’m sure they were nervous, but they didn’t let it show,” Roche says. “These students worked very hard preparing for this. They did everything we asked of them, and it showed.”

The DU team beat out runners-up Brigham Young University and finalists Georgia State University, University of Southern California, Utah State University and the College of William and Mary.

“This interscholastic competition brings out the best tax talent in colleges and universities from across the country,” says Shaun Budnik, president of the Deloitte Foundation, which is associated with national accounting powerhouse Deloitte. 

Teams were provided a tax problem and a copy of current tax codes. They were required to complete a case study, identify issues and alternative tax treatments and develop a recommended solution. A panel from Deloitte Tax LLP judged the written solutions.

Graduate tax students Sarah Flockhart, Matthew Heeman, Michele Horn and Kerri Rolland brought home the victory.

DU’s Graduate Tax Program has been the top team six times, finished second five times and has been third twice.

A team of undergraduate students from DU’s Daniels College of Business also advanced to the final round of competition, narrowly missing the runners-up spot. The School of Accountancy Tax Team members are Rachelle Barrett, Alex Bitti, Cristina Francisco and Kyle Hansen. 

DU’s Graduate Tax Program is one of the oldest and largest master’s programs in taxation in the U.S., and one of the few in which accountants and attorneys study side-by-side in the same classes.

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