November 1999

Academic Associate Drive Under Way

Non-CPA Professors Can Join Society

By Frank Pagani

Non-CPA accounting professors at colleges and universities are now eligible for NYSSCPA associate membership, thanks to a bylaws change approved by the membership. For annual dues of $165, academic associates receive all Society benefits and services except the ability to vote or serve as NYSSCPA officers or directors.

"By opening the doors to our fellow professionals and creating a forum for both CPA and non-CPA professors, we will strengthen our profession's academic community," said Dr. Myrna L. Fischman, member of the NYSSCPA Membership Committee and chair of the Accounting, Taxation and Law Department at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus. "Inviting our colleagues to serve on committees, whether in education or an area of expertise they wish to further explore, will not only benefit our new members but will increase the Society's overall pool of knowledge."

Associate member candidates need to be sponsored by an NYSSCPA member. To help recruit non-CPA accounting, auditing, and tax professors, the Society encourages members in education to nominate individuals and to communicate membership information to their colleges and universities. In addition, the Society is contacting accounting department chairs of the more than 90 college and university campuses in New York state and will place print ads in select campus newspapers. The Society also will explore creating hyperlinks on college websites to www.nysscpa.org to facilitate online application, which is now the most frequently used portal for new members.

To assure that the Society meets the needs of new academic members, Fischman is spearheading the creation of a Membership Committee subcommittee that will include education leaders from the Society and the public.

To apply for academic membership, visit http://www.nysscpa.org or request a nomination form by contacting Kiesha Mills at (212) 719-8392, (800) 633-6320, or kymills@nysscpa.org. *