4.09.2008 - 12:11pm ET

(CSRwire) WILTON, CT - April 9, 2008 — A team of accounting students from Brigham Young University captured first place honors this week as winners of the 13th Annual Deloitte National Student Case Study Competition sponsored by the Deloitte Foundation, the not-for-profit arm of Deloitte LLP. A team of students from the University of Notre Dame placed second in the competition held recently in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In addition to the winners, the four other colleges and universities participating in this year’s competition were: University of California – Berkeley, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois and Morehouse College.

With the support of a dedicated faculty advisor and a manager from Deloitte & Touche LLP, the teams of undergraduate accounting students work to provide solutions to complex case studies involving real-world financial accounting issues. Each student team then presents their case results to a panel of active and retired Deloitte partners, who assume the roles of a client company’s senior management or audit committee members. At the seminar’s conclusion, the panel selects the student teams that best identify the relevant accounting issues and most effectively present their case.

“The Deloitte National Student Case Study Seminar is a rigorous exercise that sharpens skills critical to success in the professional working environment,” said Shaun Budnik, president of the Deloitte Foundation and partner, Deloitte LLP. “We congratulate all of the outstanding case competition schools for their achievements in this program. All of the participating schools should be very proud of their students’ performance.”

“The National Case Competition provides an excellent forum for students to develop and refine their research and communication skills while building meaningful relationships with others in the accounting profession,” said Ervin Black, faculty advisor and associate professor of accounting, Brigham Young University. “All of us at BYU are very grateful for the Deloitte Foundation’s generosity in sponsoring this event, and for the excellent insight that the Deloitte judges and advisors provide to our students. We really appreciate their time. I know this competition helps students become better young professionals and future leaders of the profession.”

The competition is funded through contributions from retired partners of the Deloitte US Firms. As first place winners, the school will receive a $10,000 award and each team member will receive a $2,000 scholarship. The second place team will receive a $5,000 award and a $1,000 scholarship for each student. The four other finalist teams will receive $2,500 for their school and a $500 scholarship for each student.

The National Student Case Study Seminar is one of many educational events sponsored by the Deloitte Foundation each year. Others include the Doctoral Fellowship Program, the American Accounting Association/Deloitte/J. Michael Cook Doctoral Consortium, the Robert M. Trueblood Seminars for Professors, the Deloitte Tax Case Study Regional and National Competitions, the Deloitte/Federation of Schools of Accountancy Faculty Consortium, and the Tax Faculty Symposium.

About the Deloitte Foundation

The Deloitte Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports teaching, research, and curriculum innovation in accounting, business, and related fields within the U.S. The Foundation, founded in 1928, supports an array of national programs, which are relevant to a variety of professional services, and which benefit middle/high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. For more information, please visit the Deloitte Foundation web page at www.deloitte.com/us/df.

About Deloitte

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

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