Accounting Students Honor DiBerardino

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Accounting students in the University at Buffalo School of Management hosted a reception in honor of alumnus Louis A. DiBerardino Jr. on Oct. 3.

The event was held in the School of Management’s Louis A. and Kathryn A. DiBerardino Accounting Resource Center, named in honor of the alumnus and his wife, in appreciation of an earlier gift to the school.

The Accounting Resource Center provides space for accounting students to study, work on group projects, hold meetings and conduct research. It also is used as a tutoring location by two student organizations, the UB Accounting Association and UB’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international financial information organization for students and professionals.

DiBerardino, who graduated from the school in 1980, is managing partner of North Central Sub-Area for Ernst & Young in Cleveland, Ohio. He was in Buffalo for a meeting of the school’s Dean’s Advisory Council, of which he is chair, and the students took the opportunity to thank him for all his support.

“We wanted to express our gratitude to Lou and his wife for all they have contributed to add value to our education at the UB School of Management,” said Michael Steenberge, president of Beta Alpha Psi. “He has contributed not only financially, but also as a mentor, a recruiter and an advocate.”

While the event was student-driven, Arjang Assad, School of Management dean, was present along with a number of accounting faculty to show their appreciation as well.
Students presented DiBerardino with a few tokens of their appreciation and after brief remarks, spent the rest of the reception time talking informally with the alumnus.

The Wall Street Journal has ranked the UB School of Management No. 9 in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek has ranked the school as one of the country's top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes cited it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.