Sean Keenan 2006-2007 MACPA Chair of the Board

The demand for CPAs is at an all-time high. Retiring baby boomers and regulatory changes like Sarbanes-Oxley have generated an unprecedented need for accounting professionals. That’s great news if you’re among the increasing number of students who have chosen accounting as a major.

It’s also a call to action for all CPAs – to reach out to young people to share your experiences, to encourage their involvement in the profession and the community, and to mentor them through professional challenges and opportunities.

We must all work to secure the future of the profession. As you know, the MACPA is committed to reaching out to students and educators – it has been an important strategic initiative for several years.

The MACPA provides many opportunities for students and educators to get involved. It’s a critical connection that will keep students engaged and keep our educators in tune with issues affecting the profession. Some of those opportunities include:

• Join the Association and get involved.
• Participate in MACPA Accounting Blitzes held across the state.
• Help provide tax assistance.
• Distribute books through MACPA’s book drive to promote literacy.
• Join the New Professionals Task Force (5th year students), networking while participating in community service events like Race for the Cure and social events like attending a Tiger game.
• Attend professional events such as Members Advisory Forum, and events designed specifically for students and/or educators like our High School Leaders Conferences or the Michigan Accountancy Foundation’s Educators Symposium.

The MACPA also offers a variety of resources to educators and students. In addition to information and articles on our web site and through electronic newsletters, they can learn more through two new brochures created by the MACPA: CPA Exam and Certification Requirements in Michigan and MACPA Guide to Changes in Michigan Peer Review. Students can take advantage of our internship program. For a personal connection, educators can bring CPAs into the classroom through our Speakers Bureau. (CPAs who wan to be part of this effort can sign up here.)

Another critical element of MACPA student outreach is through the Michigan Accountancy Foundation and its Fifth Year/Graduate Scholarship. To support the Foundation and the future of the profession, the MACPA helped create a new video, shown at numerous events this fall. (See related story for a link to watch the video online.) The video very poignantly describes the Scholarship’s significant impact on recipients. Watch the video – you won’t regret it.

All of these efforts are vital to the strength and future of our great profession. I encourage you to help in any way you can.