Wake Forest MSA Students Have the Highest CPA Exam Pass Rate in the Nation

Wake Forest Schools of Business students achieved the #1 pass rate in the nation on the Certified Public Accountant Exam among candidates (with and without advanced degrees) from nearly 2,000 colleges and universities. Wake Forest students have earned the top ranking nine times since the School began offering a Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) degree in 1997, more than any other university during the same time period.

Wake Forest students led first-time exam candidates by achieving an overall pass rate of 96%, compared to the next closest university at 88% (among those who have not yet earned an advanced degree). The results were recently reported in the 2011 Edition of Candidate Performance on the Uniform CPA Examination. Nationally, the overall pass rate during this same period was less than 55%.

Congratulations MSA students!

Novartis Chairman Daniel Vasella to Speak at Wake Forest Schools of Business

The chairman of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies will discuss humanity, business and ethics at the Wake Forest Schools of Business as part of the Broyhill Leading Out Loud Executive Lecture Series.

Dr. Daniel Vasella will address the challenges and opportunities facing the global pharmaceutical industry and answer the question “how can businesses be caring?” during a on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 3:30 p.m. in the Worrell Professional Center Auditorium, Room 1312 on the Wake Forest University campus.

Vasella is the chairman of Novartis AG. He served as CEO and executive member of the board for 14 years following the merger that created Novartis in 1996. He was named chairman in April 1999.

Before the Novartis merger, Vasella was the CEO of Sandoz Pharma Ltd. and a member of the Sandoz Group executive committee. He graduated with an M.D. from the University of Bern and completed executive training at the Harvard Business School. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Basel.

Novartis, named Pharma Company of the Year at the 2011 SCRIP Awards, operates in 140 countries, providing pharmaceuticals, generic medications, eye care products, consumer health products, vaccines and diagnostic tools.

Leading out Loud is a Wake Forest University Schools of Business lecture series created to educate and inspire business students through exposure to industry leaders shaping today’s business world. This series is made possible by the of the Broyhill Family Foundation of Lenoir, N.C.

The Entrepreneurship Club and Graduate Business Wine Club - Vineyard Trip

On Friday, November 11, the Entrepreneurship Club, in association with the Graduate Business Wine Club, organized a trip to the Westbend Vineyards. The purpose of the trip was to give the students an insight into a family run business. It was a delight for both wine lovers and for our aspiring entrepreneurs.

Located in Lewisville, N.C., the vineyard was first planted in 1972 by Jack Kroustalis against the advice of some agricultural authorities. The thriving vineyard is a result of Jack’s determination. His story was an inspiration for us.

Around 40 people from both clubs were able to attend the event. The owner and the manager gave us a tour of the vineyard, explaining every step of the process of making wine, from handpicking the fruit to packaging. After the tour, we chatted over wine as the sun set.

Overall, it was a very elegant experience and an inspiring trip!

What to Keep in Your Back Pocket Here in Charlotte

I kept four things readily accessible in the back left pocket of my jeans this week – my Wake Forest campus key card, my Wake Forest copy card, my bank card, and a Yoforia gift card. When I realized mid-week that I subconsciously transferred all four cards through every pair of jeans I wore over a couple of days, it dawned on me – this was, in fact, an exam week, and I was going to need copies of accounting practice problems just as much as an already-paid-for pomegranate frozen yogurt. And I was ready.

This week required a lot of each of us here in the Charlotte program; it was the first time since we started the program in August that the stakes were raised – we were responsible for two midterm exams, a Quant Methods individual assignment, and a rough draft of a team accounting project. Not to mention, of course, our full-time jobs. If you weren’t 100% enrolled emotionally in the business school experience, you were going to be. Real fast.

The thing is, we weren’t alone – we came through for ourselves, yes; but, we came through for each other, which speaks to one of the things I love about Charlotte’s program – the people; this Class of 2013 team. We made copies for each other. We camped out in the copy room for hours talking and working through practice problems. We called. We texted. We e-mailed out study guides to everyone at 2 o’clock in the morning before the test (and by ‘we’, I mean, Morris).

Again, we weren’t alone in this experience. This past Friday, the end of exam week, Harris Teeter’s President Fred Morganthall came to the Charlotte campus to speak about his experiences and the Harris Teeter ‘story’. Organized by a second-year Charlotte student, Bryan Sprayberry ’12, the event provided insight that extended far beyond the retail world. One such insight by Mr. Morganthall - you’ve got to have the right people –your own people familiar with the company’s culture, community, goals - in place for a new store to do well in a new market. If that’s the case, then, Charlotte’s Class of 2013 – the right people to know in this new adventure - we kept each other in our back pockets this week.

VIDEO: Students Volunteer at the Food Bank Community Garden

Will it be a three-peat?

Congratulations to Wake Forest University Schools of Business students Mike Allen (MSA ’12), Dan Kim (’13), Stephanie Gifford (’12) and Greg Gorman (’12). They will represent Wake Forest at the KPMG International Case Competition semi-final on Jan. 20 in Miami.

Mike is a Master of Science in Accountancy candidate. Dan and Stephanie are Finance majors and Greg is a Business and Enterprise management major.

“Team Wake” was selected after participating in a campus competition that took place on October 3.

Megan Petitt (MSA ’12) and Swayze Smartt (MSA ’12), two of the members of the Wake Forest team that won the global championship title last year at the KPMG International Case Competition in Istanbul, Turkey, gave a presentation on Sept. 30 to campus teams before they picked up their cases. The former champs offered advice and suggested “do’s and don’ts” of case preparation.

Wake Forest also won the world title competition held two years ago in Athens, Greece.

The Wake Forest team will compete against the University of Virginia, Ole Miss, Florida State and North Carolina A&T in the semi-final competition.

Graduate Finance Club Hosts Investment Banking Weekend

On Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17, the Graduate Finance Club held its “Investment Banking Weekend” (“IB Weekend”). The IB Weekend—a resurrected event by the Finance Club from years’ past—was purposed to help educate MBA, MSA, and MA students about the various career paths in the investment banking industry.

Selected topics included: delineating the differences between boutique and “bulge-bracket” firms; describing new hires’ roles and responsibilities, and; discussing behavioral and technical interviewing best-practices. Dr. Rob Nash, Professor and Orr Fellow in Finance, and Dr. Jon Duchac, Merrill Lynch Professor of Accounting, offered insight into specific coursework and concepts relevant to students being successful on the job.

The Weekend featured an Alumni Panel on Saturday, September 17^th.. Featured speakers on the panel included:

• Drew Cannon (MBA, 2005)
• Sean Kelley (BA, 2005)
• Clint Bundy (MBA, 2006)

All of the alumni the students were fortunate to learn from have extensive experience in the investment banking industry, having worked for venerable institutions such as Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo (formerly Wachovia). In addition, the alumni have worked in various locations and geographies including Charlotte, Richmond, VA, New York and Hong Kong.

The IB Weekend concluded with the Finance Club jointly hosting a tailgate with the Graduate Marketing Club for Wake Forest’s football game against Gardner-Webb. The Demon Deacons did their part on the field in making the Weekend a success all-around, as they defeated the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, 48-5.

(Guest Submission By: Graduate Finance Club Leadership Team)