MANHATTAN — Six Kansas State University College of Business Administration students placed third in the nation in the final round of the Deloitte Audit Innovation Campus Challenge at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas.The K-State team includes Julianna Poe, sophomore in operations and supply chain management, and Brent Thein, junior in accounting, both from Manhattan; Riley Jacobson, junior in accounting, Scandia; Ashley Hammes, master’s student in accounting, and Michelle Olberding, senior in accounting, both from Seneca; and Blake Steele, master’s student in accounting, Overland Park.The team competed against 12 colleges and universities in the final round of the challenge, which featured the teams that advanced from the first round of 55 competing colleges and universities. For the finals, teams presented their solutions to a panel of judges.In both rounds, each team had to provide their response to a challenge question, which asked them to consider how Deloitte might advise companies as they prepare for increased focus on environmental, social and governance, or ESG, issues.The K-State team created and recommended Deloitte Evolve, a comprehensive solution for companies facing impending ESG regulations. Evolve utilizes two distinct programs, Evolve Risk Assessment and Evolve Participate, to advise Deloitte clients on improving ESG reporting through enhanced communication, company-specific ESG risk identification and solutions, ESG team building and employee participation.“Our team of students worked exceptionally hard over the last six months to come up with a creative and innovative solution to a real-world issue,” said Associate Professor Brooke Beyer, the team’s faculty advisor. “The team collaborated really well together, and each member contributed significantly to the team’s success. They are a wonderful example of what a high-functioning team can accomplish!”
For their third-place finish, Kansas State University’s College of Business Administration received $2,500, and each student received $500.
Hosted by Deloitte’s Audit Innovation group, the Audit Innovation Campus Challenge is a nationwide program that accelerates innovation in education by helping institutions of higher learning keep pace with the rapidly changing marketplace and evolving technologies impacting the audit profession. The program engages students and faculty from campuses across the country, providing an educational experience designed to help students develop skills for success in professional services and sharing the culture of innovation at Deloitte with academia and potential future professionals.
