UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A six-member student team from the Penn State Smeal College of Business was named one of the finalists of Deloitte’s Audit Innovation Campus Challenge (AICC).

Six Smeal students from the Integrated Master of Accounting Program — Megan O’Neill, Cooper Steinberg, Katherine Chomko, Zach Reiner, Megan Kelso and Stefania Decicco — advanced to the national competition, which is scheduled for April 2021.

Susie Wright, associate teaching professor of accounting, served as the faculty adviser to Smeal’s team.

Teams representing 52 colleges and universities across the country participated in the virtual competition.

Hosted by Deloitte’s Audit Innovation group and the Deloitte Foundation, the AICC is a nationwide program, which 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 employees.

The team from Smeal had four weeks to respond to a challenge statement released in early October. The six-person team was supported by Deloitte professionals and a faculty adviser. Submissions were judged by an evaluation panel comprised of Deloitte & Touche LLP Audit & Assurance professionals. The students from the finalist teams each received $100.

Twelve teams will advance to the finals and compete in the 2020 National Competition of the Audit Innovation Campus Challenge in April 2021. The National Competition grand prize is $10,000 for the first-place school and a $2,000 scholarship for each student on that team, $5,000 for the second-place school and a $1,000 scholarship per student, and $2,500 for the third-place school and a $500 scholarship per student.