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UNE celebrates achievements, potential of Business School students

August 25, 2006

SwitzerPettigr.thumb.JPGThe New England Business School (NEBS) at The University of New England has celebrated the academic achievement of its most outstanding students at the annual CPA Australia Merit Awards Evening.

The winners of 50 of the awards, along with their relatives and friends, were able to attend the event at UNE last week, at which the guest speaker was the Director of the NSW Division of CPA Australia, Ron Switzer. Mr Switzer, along with the Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, and NEBS Senior Lecturer Robert Shannon, presented the awards. Later, Professor Pettigrew (pictured here, at right) moved a vote of thanks to Mr Switzer (at left of photograph).

Local business people and members of the accounting profession joined the students, their guests, and UNE staff members at the event, which is co-sponsored each year by CPA Australia.

The Merit Awards – this year totalling 260 – went to students whose results were in the first 5 to 6 per cent for any NEBS unit taught in Second Semester 2005, the 2005 – 6 Summer School, or First Semester 2006. One student won four of the awards, and several won two or three each.

Mr Switzer’s address outlined the diversity of career paths available to Accounting graduates. In his own career, before becoming Director of the NSW Division of CPA Australia, Mr Switzer was a partner in KPMG and held chief financial positions in prominent insurance and information technology companies.

CPA Australia’s Recruitment Executive, Catherine Baker, accompanied Mr Switzer to UNE and spoke earlier in the day to UNE Accounting students about the advantages of membership of the association – the largest professional accounting body in Australia – which now has branches in Europe, Asia and New Zealand.

“The New England Business School and CPA Australia have a strong and long-term relationship that has realised enormous benefits for both students and staff at UNE,” explained Professor Larry Smith, the Interim Head of NEBS.

“A key feature of the relationship is the regular visits by high-profile CPA Australia members to the University,” he said. “These regular visits significantly negate the potential professional isolation of being in a regional area, and help establish strong and productive national networks not only for our staff but also for our students. When they visit, the people from CPA Australia spend an extraordinary amount of time talking one-on-one with students, as well as giving more formal talks.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at August 25, 2006 10:57 AM