UNLV Department of Accounting

Congratulations to Dr. Jason Smith and his co-author, Dr. John Keyser (Case Western Reserve University), for their recently published study in Accounting Horizons, entitled “Who’s Behind the Curtain? Investors’ Reactions to Group Audit Disclosures in the Form AP.” To learn more about their study and its findings, visit https://buff.ly/471xUeQ .

Welcome back, Rebels! Earlier this week, Professor Danny Siciliano kicked off the Fall 2024 semester by teaching Managerial Accounting to Lee Business School students. These students are lighting the path to learning and preparing for a great semester and rewarding careers in business!

The ISACA Las Vegas Chapter and the ISACA Foundation have created a scholarship fund in honor of Dr. Patricia Navarro-Velez. This scholarship will help continue her legacy of supporting underrepresented students in tech to pursue careers in IT audit, risk, security, assurance, or cybersecurity.

Students attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) or the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) who are interested in a career in IT audit, risk, security, assurance, or cybersecurity are eligible to apply for the ISACA Las Vegas - Dr. Patricia Navarro-Velez Memorial Scholarship. This academic scholarship offers $2,500 USD for tuition and a career building bundle (including ISACA student membership, course from the ITCA or CET certification, conference registration, and mentor from ISACA's mentoring program)! The application opens 20 August and closes 22 October 2024.

Read more about the scholarship and apply by the deadline, 22 October 2024: ISACA Las Vegas - Dr. Patricia Navarro-Velez Memorial Scholarship. Ink: https://buff.ly/3Mf2CI3

As we kick off the Fall 2024 semester, we welcome back our UNLV Accounting Rebels and wish you all a wonderful and successful semester.

After a rigorous competition this summer, the following individuals will be representing UNLV Accounting in the Fall 2024 Deloitte FanTAXtic Regional Competition. Ashley Venditelli (Team Captain / Senior), Cidney Raine Pahang (Junior), Lisandro Zamora-Quinones (Sophomore), Jessica Cabrera (Felix) (Sophomore). Best of luck to these fanTAXtic Rebels!

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Jackson and his co-authors on receiving the Teaching Innovation Award from the Forensic Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association at this year’s Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The award is based on a case study the authors developed to teach students about financial statement and Fraud Triangle analyses in a real-world COVID-related case setting. More information about the case can be found at https://buff.ly/3YEbU7K .

Dr. Jason Smith recently served as one of two instructors at a three-day intensive Audit Educators' Bootcamp experience, held by the American Accounting Association and hosted by Deloitte in its Chicago office. The annual Bootcamp brings audit educators and experienced practitioners together to discuss and develop best practices and interactive techniques for enhancing audit education.

UNLV’s Theta Omicron chapter picked up some shiny new hardware at the Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) Annual Meeting in Orlando last week. trophy Out of more than 300 chapters worldwide, UNLV’s BAP chapter was among just 10 to receive (again) the prestigious KPMG Platinum Challenge Award, which recognizes exceptional innovation, engagement, and achievement of the chapter and its members. Additionally, the chapter took second place in the EY Inclusive Leadership Award, which recognizes the strength and inclusivity of the chapter’s leadership. Congratulations to the Theta Omicron chapter’s Faculty Advisory - Professor Tammy Perri - and its leadership team of Jalen Valdecantos, Gustavo Sanchez, Conner Flax, Isabella Coviello, Sieban Woldegiorgish, Katie Erickson, and Benjamin Chiu (not pictured).

Following a rigorous and thorough review process that culminated with a campus visit by two peer-review teams, AACSB International announced today that the UNLV Lee Business School and Department of Accounting each received a six-year extension of their AACSB accreditation status. For more than 100 years, AACSB accreditation has been synonymous with the highest standards in business education, and UNLV is proud to be counted among the top 10% of business schools and top 2% of accounting programs that achieve this standard. – We congratulate the faculty, staff, students, and supporters of the Lee Business School and Department of Accounting for their continuing commitment to excellence that underlies the quality and competitiveness of these programs.

Scott C. Jackson (Accounting) and co-authors Blake Steenhoven (Queen's University) and Kristina Rennekamp (Cornell University) recently published their paper, "CEO gender and responses to shareholder activism," in Contemporary Accounting Research, a premier accounting research journal. The study investigates how a CEO’s cooperative or uncooperative response to shareholder activism influences investor reactions and whether these reactions differ depending on the gender of the CEO. The results suggest that investors rely on gender-based stereotypes when evaluating executive responses to shareholder activism. You can explore the full article here: https://buff.ly/3z9y8DJ

UNLV Accounting was well represented this week at the 2024 Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Accounting and Finance Conference in San Antonio, Texas, where multiple UNLV teams competed in the national finals of the IMA Student Case Competition.

In February, judges performed a blind review of nationwide submissions to identify four finalist teams, inviting them to travel to Texas this week to compete in front of a live audience, with hundreds of professionals and a panel of judges in attendance.

Led by faculty advisor, Danny Siciliano, UNLV Accounting had three teams in this year’s finals, with nine students traveling to San Antonio to present their case analyses. We’re so proud of these outstanding students whose hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm for learning, analytics, and professional development led them to securing another IMA Case Competition win for a team from UNLV.

Please join us in congratulating our students: (Competition Winners) Justin Klouw, Becky Chen, Benjamin Chiu, Jalen Valdecantos (not pictured), and Connor Flax (not pictured); (Finalist Teams) Alex Jordan Cabrera, Nicholas Minter, Chase Watson, Lauren Smith, Karla Magana, and Andrew Keshishian.

UNLV Accounting faculty members were recently invited to visit Deloitte’s new office location in the UnCommons. We appreciated the chance to network with firm professionals, reconnect with UNLV alumni, and enjoy some tasty donuts while touring the impressive new workspace.

Professors Scott Jackson and Glori Roque attended the EY Academic Resource Center (EYARC) Faculty Colloquium in Charlotte, North Carolina last week. The event allows accounting educators to learn about new case studies and emerging technology integrations to help enhance student experiences in the classroom.

Professors Erin Hamilton, Glori Roque, and Jason Smith attended the Alteryx Inspire Data Analytics Conference in Las Vegas, NV earlier this week. As part of the the Alteryx SparkED educators' program, faculty from around the world receive valuable training and program access to Alteryx, one of the world’s leading data analytics tools.

Congratulations to our UNLV Accounting students who graduated this past weekend with their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Congrats and best wishes for continued success!

UNLV Accounting celebrated Spring 2024 graduation with our students at Bahama Breeze last week. Special thanks to our Accounting Advisory Board for sponsoring the event and for joining our students and faculty members in celebrating this major milestone and achievement!

UNLV Accounting teamed up with Get Outdoors Nevada last weekend for a day of service with a local park clean-up. Our faculty, students, and Advisory Board members had fun socializing while working together to improve our local community. Thanks to everyone who participated!

UNLV Accounting congratulates our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) students who recently celebrated the end of tax season. Under the direction of Professor Debra Biordi, students in the IRS-sanctioned VITA program receive intensive training and provide free tax-preparation services to dozens of households in the greater Las Vegas community. Special thanks to RSM for their support and sponsorship, which makes this program possible.

UNLV Accounting and the NV Society of CPAs hosted a special information session event for “Rising Star” students in Introductory Financial and Managerial Accounting courses at UNLV and CSN. This annual event provides pre-business majors with an opportunity to learn more about the exciting and diverse opportunities as a student and, later, as a professional with an accounting degree from UNLV.

UNLV Accounting and the Lee Business School congratulate the four finalist teams that competed in the third annual Nevada Gold Mines Business Case Competition last week, winning more than $30,000 in scholarship awards. – The teams consisted of Golden Crown Corporation (Becky Chen, Benjamin Chiu, Bethany Miller, Roland Arce); Dune (Allister Diaz, Andres Carrasco, Jalen Valdecantos, Connor Flax); Gold Rush Brain Trust (Jose Horta Hernandez, Christel Marie San Diego, Nessa Yip, Sehaj Sing); and Rebel Rush (Marisol Pulido, Kurumi Nakano, Gian Cubacub, and Israel Negrete). – Special thanks to Nevada Gold Mines, Duncan Bristow, and other NGM employees for sponsoring the event, developing a challenging case study, coaching the finalist teams, and judging the event.

Join us April 17th for an online conversation to celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage and diversity in the workplace. Five successful professionals from the AAPI community will share personal experiences, insights, and advice for students who are preparing to launch their professional careers. Thanks to our sponsor - RSM - we will be giving away $50 in Rebel Cash to 10 lucky students who attend. RSVP at https://buff.ly/43PmYzB

Professors Jason Smith & Danny Siciliano were honored to represent UNLV Accounting at last week’s Nevada Business Hall of Fame gala, hosted by the Lee Business School. Congratulations to this year’s inductees: Jan Jones Blackhurst, Bill Hornbuckle, and Bill Foley.

Special thanks to Bob Rudloff - retired Senior Vice President of Internal Audit at MGM Resorts International - for visiting Professor Paulette Tandy's Accounting Environment class this week and speaking to the students on the importance of ethics in their professional careers.

Don't forget the UNLV Department of Accounting is offering FREE tax preparation services through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program through April 1st. The program is certified by the IRS and is available to UNLV students, faculty, staff, and their families with an annual household income of $60,000 or less. The completely virtual service will be provided by certified tax preparers through a secure web portal where you can upload your documents without ever leaving your home. Though the service is free, space is limited. To schedule your initial appointment, email [email protected].

Join us on Zoom at 4:00pm on Wednesday, March 20th, as we host five successful businesswomen who will share their insights, experiences, achievements, and advice for UNLV students who are preparing to launch their own professional careers. Thanks to our event sponsor - RSM - we will be giving away $50 in Rebel Cash to 10 lucky students who attend. RSVP at https://buff.ly/49Lt8mb

Special thanks to Chris Plasterer - tax partner at RSM and UNLV alumnus - for visiting Professor Debra Biordi's Corporate Tax class this week, giving students the opportunity to work on a real-world corporate tax case study

UNLV Accounting joined the rest of the Lee Business School this week in welcoming incoming accounting and business students. This “Welcome to the Major” event is a great way for students to meet faculty, learn about scholarships and professional development services, engage with student organizations, and to win some fun prizes and swag items. – It’s always fun to share so many great resources with a new set of Accounting Rebels!

On Valentine’s Day, do you know what the Lee Business School and Department of Accounting love? – We love giving away free money to our students, and we need your help! – We have more than $900,000 in undergrad and grad scholarships for 2024-2025, and we need you to apply before today’s deadline to help us give it all away! – Please take a few minutes to visit https://buff.ly/49xAb1u fill out the scholarship application; you just need to fill out one application to be eligible for all Lee Business and Accounting Scholarships. TODAY is the last day to apply, so don’t miss out!

Join us online at 4:00pm on Tuesday, February 27th, as we host five successful professionals for a virtual panel discussion on Professional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as we celebrate Black History Month. Thanks to our sponsor, RSM, we will be giving away $50 in Rebel Cash to 10 lucky students. RSVP here.

Professional DEI Panel: Black History Month Join us for our Professional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) virtual panel. This month's panel focuses on experiences, insights, and advice from Black professionals. This event is hosted by UNLV Accounting and is sponsored by RSM.

We’re excited to support select accounting students with 100% tuition assistance for a master’s degree, thanks to the Accounting Scholars Program. Learn more at https://buff.ly/3VYBHCs.