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2008 MAF Scholarship Winners
The Michigan Accountancy Foundation (MAF) awards scholarships to deserving
accounting students each year. This year the Foundation was able to award
scholarships to 30 students, a record number for the Foundation. The MAF's
goal is to increase the number of graduating students entering the
accounting profession by investing in young people during their fifth year
of college. For more information on the MAF Fifth/Graduate Year Scholarship
program and a complete listing of the 2008 MAF Scholarship winners please,
visit the
MACPA
web site.
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The 2008 Race for the Cure®
- Register Before it is too Late
Join the MACPA team as we race to fight breast cancer at the
17th Annual Komen Detroit Race for the Cure®. The Race will be on Saturday, May 31
beginning at Comerica Park in Detroit. This is the MACPA's fifth year
participating in the Race. It is easy to
register for the Race as a member of the MACPA team. For more
information, please contact Nicole
Shepard at 248.267.3700.
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Employment Trend:
Intern First, Then Full-Time Hire
Increasingly, employers are looking to their
internship programs to find new employees, according to results of a new
survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Results of NACE’s
2008 Experiential Education Survey show that emphasis on hiring from an
intern program is growing. Employers reported that nearly 36 percent of the
new college graduates they hired from the Class of 2007 came from their own
internship programs, up from 30 percent from the Class of 2005. Survey
findings also indicate that interns who become full-time hires are more
likely to stick with the organization than their co-workers who didn’t go
through the program.
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CPA License Mobility
Legislation Introduced in Michigan
Mobility
legislation to ease restrictions on interstate practice for CPAs was
introduced in Lansing on Thursday, March 20, 2008. With the support of
the MACPA and the State Board of Accountancy, Representative Andy
Coulouris (D-Saginaw) introduced House Bill (HB) 5936. This piece of
legislation amends the Occupational Code (PA 299 of 1980) by extending
the Michigan State Board of Accountancy’s jurisdiction over out-of-state
CPAs for disciplinary purposes in the case of wrongdoing. The State
Board will gain automatic jurisdiction over all CPAs practicing in
Michigan, whether they are registered or licensed in the state or not.
Read more
here.
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Advice From a
Professional
Lisa L. Howze, CPA
Professional Speaker
Speaking Life Principles, Inc.
Years in profession: 11 years in accounting profession/ 3.5 years as
professional speaker
During career day in her 10th grade accounting class Lisa Howze was first
introduced to the idea of becoming a CPA. A banker was visiting and asked
the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” One of her fellow
classmates stood up and said “I want to be a CPA,” and from that moment on
Lisa was intrigued. Before she graduated, her high school business teacher
introduced Lisa to a partner with Arthur Andersen, where she began her
professional career. Lisa graduated from the University of Michigan with a
Bachelor of Business Administration, then went on to get her Master's Degree
in Finance from Walsh College.
Currently, Lisa does not provide accounting
services in the traditional sense. She is the chief executive officer,
principal speaker and trainer of a motivation, training and development
company. Some may wonder, how being a CPA can lead to a career in
motivational speaking. Lisa has an explanation, “When providing training
services, I am required to understand my clients’ business and the
objectives they expect to accomplish within their organization. I then
design my presentation to address those concerns. My ability to successfully
provide speaking and training services comes from my years of experience in
the accounting profession where I was required to understand my clients'
business, understand the risks factors present, and design audit tests to
address those risks.”
Lisa on the benefits of pursuing a
CPA license and actually working as a CPA
“CPAs understand business. CPAs are an invaluable member of a business team.
CPAs are always in demand and the earning potential is significant,” said
Lisa. She recommends getting a CPA designation because it brings instant
credibility and respect. “As a CPA, you are viewed as the most valuable
player on the team. Your clients value your vast knowledge and assistance in
helping them resolve problems unique to their business or industry. The more
value you bring to the team the more you will be compensated.”
Lisa on tips for studying to be a CPA and for passing the CPA exam
She recommends being an active participant in all of your accounting
courses. Demonstrating leadership, teamwork, organizational skills and the
ability to resolve conflict in group situations is essential for CPAs. As
far as studying for the CPA exam, Lisa said to avoid overburdening yourself
with review courses in your senior year. “Enjoy your senior year in college,
you will never get it back. Once you have graduated and start your career,
you must become focused and committed to completing the exam. My advice to
you would be to seek out different individuals who have successfully passed
the exam under the new format and model the success pattern that best suits
you.”
Lisa on advice for students studying to become a CPA
“Join student organizations that support your interests. Identify members
and particularly leaders of the professional organization that supports the
student chapter. Volunteer your time and energy to community service
programs that these organizations support. Become a leader. Establish, build
and maintain positive relationships over the course of your career. Develop
excellent communication skills – listening, speaking and writing. Each facet
of communication will become critically important to your success as a
professional.”
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Last Issue for the
Semester
This is the last issue of Student E-News until the fall. Have a wonderful
summer! Please send us your updated e-mail and street address if it changes
over the summer. Look for the next issue coming out in September. As always,
if you have any question, please contact the MACPA at 248.267.3700. We will
see you in the fall.
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Tips for Creating a
Concise Resume
If you're in the middle of writing your resume, you
may be asking yourself any of these questions:
How long should my resume be? How can I fit all my experience on one page?
What can I eliminate and what should be highlighted? If you are, you're not
alone. As millions of workers update their resumes, one of the top concerns
is length. Not long ago, job seekers followed the resume golden rule: No
resume should exceed one page. However, today's job seekers are finding that
rule no longer applies. Read this article in
its entirety at
Monster.com.
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