Educators and students attending the 27th Annual Michigan Accountancy Foundation Educator Symposium on November 5, 2004, had the opportunity to hear a top-notch line up of speakers who provided updates from both state and national perspectives.

There were more than 150 attendees at this year’s Symposium, which was held at the VistaTech Center in Livonia. AICPA Vice Chair Leslie Murphy kicked off the event by providing a national look at critical issues facing the profession.

A partner with Plante & Moran and a former MACPA board member, Murphy offered encouraging news for the profession when she reviewed statistics on current accounting students and recent graduates. The number of students majoring and graduating in accounting continues to rise. Additionally, the number of women graduating with degrees in accounting is well over 50 percent. Yet, the challenge to remain relevant and attractive to the next generation remains as members of the profession retire at a faster rate than new CPAs can be hired.

Murphy highlighted the unprecedented changes that have occurred in the profession as a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the first major change to the profession since 1934. This legislation has created an “incredible amount of demand” for CPAs, Murphy said.

Murphy also provided an update from AICPA’s Spring and Fall Council meetings, noting some of the hot topics, including peer review transparency, independence rules and fraud detection and prevention.

AICPA’s Financial Literacy Program is among one of the top priorities for the AICPA.

“We have an unprecedented gap between the haves and the have nots,” Murphy said. “We’re mobilizing CPAs across the country to go out and give back.”

As part of its ongoing effort to improve the financial health of Americans across all life stages and socio-economic levels, AICPA recently launched the 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy web site.

MACPA president and CEO Peggy Dzierzawski highlighted MACPA’s efforts to address financial literacy during her presentation. After sharing a video about Hospice of Michigan, she talked about an exciting new partnership between MACPA and Hospice to develop materials, including checklists, for families to utilize in end-of-life planning for loved ones. (For more information, read this month’s message from Chair John Higgins.)

Students and educators once again had an opportunity to participate in breakout sessions. New this year, educators participated with practitioners in roundtable discussions on topics such as a new hire’s first year and how firms might enhance the classroom learning experience.

Meanwhile, students attended a session titled How to Make a Really Great First Impression, presented by Renee Blonde, a KPMG recruiting manager, and Karen Flaherty with the MACPA. Topics included telephone etiquette, preparing for an interview, body language and appropriate clothing.

Other featured speakers included:

Edward Kisscorni, chair, Michigan State Board of Accountancy, on An In-depth Look at the Issues Affecting Michigan CPAs;

Suzanne Jolicoeur, licensing administrator, Michigan State Board of Accountancy, on the Computerized CPA Exam;

William Wortz, governmental relations consultant, Public Affairs Associates, on What Affect Will the New Legislators Have on the Profession; and

Ed Outslay, professor, Michigan State University, on Integrating Tax and Financial Reporting into the Curriculum.

View a list of our generous MAF Symposium Sponsors.

Association Brief articles brought to you by MACPA Corporate Sponsor, MSW Group PLC.