“I have interacted with students from the Harbert College of Business for more than 20 years, and I personally continue to be impressed with the rigor and high expectations the college has for its graduates.”

Editor’s Note: Harbert graduates catch the eye of employers who understand the effort the college puts into preparing our students to work effectively from the start and to advance their careers. Here’s an example of one executive’s experience with Harbert students:

Pam Blackburn is a partner at Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms and a highly ranked multinational professional services network. Blackburn and other Atlanta-based Deloitte partners have established longstanding connections with the faculty, students and alumni of the Harbert College of Business.

It is a symbiotic relationship: Over the years, the firm has become familiar with and interacted with Harbert students well before they graduate, and students have maintained a continuous rapport with Blackburn (pictured third from left) and other professionals at Deloitte. This highly selective organization provides audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk and financial advisory services, and thus a gamut of employment opportunities for graduates properly prepared to join the firm.

Blackburn has a solid idea of what sets Harbert graduates apart. The most notable thing, she said, is that they are fully prepared to enter the professional arena right out of the gate.

“The technical classroom preparation, professional classes and interaction with the faculty and other business leaders provide them with a foundation that can allow them to assimilate to the working environment,” Blackburn says.

“These foundations help in a graduate’s success after college. Those who are successful early on are able to focus on the aspects of their career that a company or organization can teach them without having to focus on the fundamentals.”

A heightened sense of preparedness is essential when working at Deloitte, a company ranked No. 1 by market share based on aggregate revenue making it the largest professional services network in the world. 

Deloitte’s presence at Auburn and its interaction with students has spurred a network of Harbert alumni at the firm that spans several decades, providing a reassuring atmosphere for new employees. A trend that Blackburn says, “will likely expand far into the future because Harbert grads are primed to become outstanding employees.”

“I have interacted with students from the Harbert College of Business for more than 20 years, and I personally continue to be impressed with the rigor and high expectations the college has for its graduates,” Blackburn says. “Students are exposed to situations that prepare them for interaction with the larger professional community.  We are thankful for our relationship with the Harbert College and to have the opportunity to meet students who are excited about beginning their professional careers.”

The Harbert College of Business Master of Accountancy program announced that the Class of 2019 earned one of the highest CPA Exam overall pass rates in school history: 94 percent, compared to 54 percent nationally. The pass rates — no less than 92 percent on each of the four sections of the Exam — are the byproduct of a rigorous undergraduate curriculum and a graduate program dedicated to preparing students for the Exam.