The uniform CPA exam is known in the world of business for being one of the most difficult
professional certification exams. Comprised of four separate sections, altogether
the exam takes a cumulative 14 hours with three of the sections having less than a
50 percent passing rate. Estimates indicate only about 20 percent of candidates will
pass all four sections on the first try.
Patrick Archer, BA '14, however, not only beat those odds, he also managed to receive the ninth highest score in Arizona with an average 89.5 on all four parts. The Arizona Society of CPAs hosted a reception honoring Archer and the other top ten scorers in late April.
"I owe a lot to Dr. Robert Walsh for approaching me and guiding me into the accounting profession," said Archer. "He has a wealth of knowledge. I would joke with other students that counselor meetings with Dr. Walsh take five minutes in his office, but leave you with insights to ponder for a week afterwards."
During a whirlwind road trip in the summer of 2015 Patrick and his wife traveled from Ohio to Arizona. Archer spent any available downtime studying for the exam. Once settled in Phoenix, Archer sat for all four sections over the remaining summer months.
"The business school at University of Dallas gave me the best foundation a business student could ask for when it comes to preparing for the CPA exam," said Archer. "A critical skill in business is having a fundamental understanding of your craft rather than focusing on technical skills. I have seen technically-trained professionals struggle in certain circumstances because they have not been taught to step back from an issue to understand it broadly before assessing the particulars."
The University of Dallas has announced a new director of civil rights, Luciana Milano. Milano, who has a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard College and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, began her new role on Oct. 12.
+ Read More“This is the first time we’ve had a scholarship in honor of a great Catholic intellectual — and now, within the last year, saint,” said President Thomas S. Hibbs, Ph.D., BA ’82 MA ’83, by way of introducing the St. John Henry Newman Scholarship in Philosophy recently endowed by alumnus Matthew Hejduk, MA '98 PhD '06, and his wife, Julia Hejduk, Ph.D. Julia was a colleague of Hibbs during his time at Baylor University, where she teaches in the Classics Department.
+ Read MoreMichelle Cortez-Gonzales, MFA ’20, was a Fort Worth ISD high school teacher with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Texas at Arlington when she decided to go back to school to get her master’s. At the recommendation of a friend, she visited UD, and knew immediately from the wooded area around the Art Village, the architecture of the buildings, and the faculty members she met that UD was the place for her.
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