11/5/2003

Contact: K.E. Schwab  -- 724-738-2199;  e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu

Prepare for Phase II --

SRU ACCOUNTING STUDENTS PLACE IN STATEWIDE BUSINESS PLAN CHALLENGE

            SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- A Slippery Rock University accounting team, including four accounting students, has been named one of five state finalists in the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Business Plan Challenge and will next compete in Phase II set for Nov. 15 in Philadelphia.

    The team includes Richard Allen of Slippery Rock, Lauren Goob of Pittsburgh, Gary Kerr of Levittown, and Jeremiah Libby of South Portland, Maine.

To earn the finalist honor, teams were given one month to write and submit a small business operation plan.  The finalists were selected by judges from the PICPA. 

 In Phase II, the top five teams selected will be given special circumstances to consider related to their business plan and will then have four hours to prepare and develop additional strategies to cope with the proposed changes. The teams will then present their updated plans to the panel of judges with the top team selected based on its response. In 2001, an SRU team of five took first-place honors, including the $1,500 prize.

The team’s adviser is Dr. Susan Lubinski, assistant professor in the School of Business.

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