UNLV wins 2018 IMA National Student Case Competition

Two teams representing the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Lee Business School and its department of accounting competed in the final round of the Institute of Management Accountants' annual National Student Case Competition in Indianapolis on June 17, and one of them ultimately won the competition.

UNLV competed against teams from Texas State and Wright State. This marks the second year in a row that UNLV has won.

The IMA's annual Student Case Competition presents teams with a modern case study to analyze and develop a solution. Teams initially submit videos presenting their case analysis, and the finalists present their solutions to a live audience at the IMA’s Annual Conference and Expo.

This year’s case focused on an organic clothing company for children, with the student teams tasked with acting as the management team of the organization and preparing a business strategy.

Twenty-five teams from universities across the country participated in the initial round of the competition this year, with four finalist teams receiving $3,000 and the winning team receiving an additional $2,000 grand prize. The two UNLV teams won a combined total of $8,000 for their school.

Students on the winning team included UNLV students Ashley Brinkmeyer, Savannah Schmidt, Esther Lee, Jesika Herrera and Simon Zhu. The other UNLV finalist team featured Naomi Tekabe, Katrina Scheuermann, Jacob Lennard and Charmaine Pancho.

“Winning the IMA Case Competition for the second year in a row further solidifies the reputation of the department of accounting at UNLV as a highly competitive program that is preparing students to succeed outside of the classroom,” said Bob Cornell, department chair of the UNLV department of accounting, in a statement. “I’m proud of our students and what both teams have accomplished this year.”

Both teams were coached by accounting professor Danny Siciliano, who previously coached last year’s IMA Student Case Competition winning team, as well as the winning team of the AICPA Accounting Competition in 2014.

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For more on the National Student Case Competition, head to the IMA's site here.

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