September 20, 2006
McCombs PPA Graduates Garner AICPA Sells Award
By Dorothy Brady

Mark Danielson Jr. and William Leder, both 2005 graduates of the McCombs Professional Program in Accounting, have received the prestigious American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Sells Award for 2005.

They are two of ten winners nationwide who completed testing during that year and earned the highest cumulative scores on the four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination on their first attempt at the exam, the AICPA announced September 12, 2006.

Before being eligible to become a Certified Public Accountant, applicants must pass all four parts of the exam: auditing and attestation; business environment and concepts; financial accounting and reporting; and regulations. The computer-based test employs multiple-choice, problem solving and essay questions.

Leder said the diversity and thoroughness of the McCombs PPA was the chief factor in his success. “The program encourages the development of critical thinking skills, forcing students to think about the rationale behind business theory and accounting standards rather than just memorizing them,” he said. Leder works in the Assurance and Advisory Business Services division in Ernst & Young’s Dallas office.

Danielson, a member of Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services at Ernst & Young, also in Dallas, said besides the requisite hours of intensive study, the UT Austin CPA review course was crucial to his outstanding performance on the test. “It provided a great learning structure and helped me focus on key exam topics,” he said.

McCombs School accounting students typically have pass rates much higher than the statewide average on any given part of the exam. In 2005, accounting students from McCombs had a passing rate of 65 percent compared to 45 percent of candidates from all other Texas colleges and universities; in 2006 the percentage rose to 74 percent compared to 46 percent.

“Over the years, UT’s success on the CPA exam has been remarkable, and the number of UT Sells Awards has been equally impressive,” said Steve Limberg, director of the Master in Professional Accounting Programs at McCombs. “This year has been extraordinary with two McCombs winners out of ten. It’s a tribute to the praiseworthy talent of the recipients who are such notable representatives of our accounting programs.”

Danielson and Leder join seven other recent UT Sells Award recipients: David Eads, MPA ’04; Paul Ito, MPA ’96; Christine Howard, PPA ’98; John McInnis, PPA ’02; David Peck, PPA ’95; Peter Prescott, MPA ’99; and Sudipta Roy, PPA ’01.

Established in 1923, the Sells award honors Elijah Watts Sells, a founding partner of Haskins & Sells, a predecessor to the international firm Deloitte & Touche.