Santa Clara Valley Company teams up with San Jose State students to model effect of tax reform options.

• Position: Chapter News

The Gary J. Sbona Honors Program in the College of Business at San Jose State University gives students an opportunity to work on "real world" business projects for companies in the Silicon Valley. Participating firms submit a proposal for a finance, accounting, marketing, management, or systems project that is matched with a small team of students interested in gaining experience in the particular area. According to the program director, Bill DeVincenzi, the honors students are selected from the top 10 percent of students in the College of Business, based on their academic achievement, activities, and communications and social skills. The program provides companies with a no-cost resource to do a research or analytical project that might not otherwise be done. The students benefit from interacting with experienced business managers and developing their research and presentation skills.

SJSU invited companies with members in TEI's Santa Clara Valley Chapter to participate in the program this year with a view toward broadening the fields in which it offers opportunities to its students. One company that accepted the offer was Synopsys, Inc., where Chapter President Don Rath works. The company sponsored a project to assess the effect of selected tax reform models on the company, including: (1) repeal of deferral, (2) the President's FY11 budget proposal, (3) the Wyden-Gregg proposal, and (4) a territorial or quasi-territorial system.

Members of the Synopsys tax department...