Smith Undergrads Take 2nd Place in NABA Case Study Competition

A team of accounting students from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business took home second place and $300 each in the student case study competition at National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) National Convention & Expo, held in Las Vegas, June 10-13, 2015. This is the third year in a row Smith Terps have taken home an award. The past two years, they won the competition.

The UMD-Smith student team consisted of four accounting students: Augustine Nkanka (rising junior), Sharita Ray (rising junior), Janae Savoy (rising sophomore) and Zalandria Spann (rising junior). Students were advised by Jim McKinney, clinical professor of accounting and information assurance.

Seven schools participated in the competition, during which teams of students analyzed a strategic management case on fracking in Poland. Baruch College - The City University of New York, Hampton University and the University of Mississippi joined the UMD-Smith team in the final four.

Before the competition, the students spent multiple sessions rehearsing with McKinney and others. At the competition, students had about three hours to read, analyze and prepare a final PowerPoint with their recommendations. Rehearsals went into the early morning hours and after only a few hours of sleep, the team presented their case in the first round and was selected to move on to the finals. “Having watched all the finalists, I felt we had the best presentation, but the judges disagreed,” said McKinney.

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