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Rochester Chapter Forms High School Relations Task Force

By Kenneth Hall, High School Relations Task Force Chair

The Rochester Chapter’s High School Relations Task Force (HSRTF) recently held its kickoff meeting. Highlights of the team’s activities include the preparation of a ready-to-roll PowerPoint presentation, a participant feedback form and a presenter rating form. Future enhancements include a take-away minidisk of materials and related accounting career goodies.

The task force’s goal is to make accounting career presentations to at least 12 area high schools and 240 students in the coming year. The task force is already off to a good start with three accepted offers to speak and three more in the pipeline. Cheryl Yawman, a contact of Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) Exploring Division and a Rochester Chapter executive board member, proved to be integral in lining up several of the high school engagements.

Through the BSA, the task force is able to assist Rochester area schools meet their obligations with the New York State Education Department by providing supplemental career awareness, which is part of the state-mandated school guidance program.

Another recent development is the reinstatement of the BSA Accounting Career Exploring Post, hosted for many years by Arthur Andersen & Co. Since 2002 and the demise of the former big-eight firm, the Rochester area was left without a host for this valuable experience.

“I was once a high school student sitting in the back row of an Accounting Career Explorer Post at Arthur Andersen. Then later, as an auditor for Arthur Andersen, I was an Exploring Advisor and presenter. I know firsthand how this made a difference in my selection of a career and I definitely did not want to see this die out,” reflected task force chair Kenneth Hall on the lack of a host for the BSA’s Explorer Program.

After several conference calls with Rochester accounting firms, Insero Kasperski and Ciaccia & Co. graciously agreed to host a shortened four-to-five-session program this year. They also expect to be the host firm for the complete nine-session program in 2004.

“I am concerned about the shrinking pool of qualified candidates coming out of local colleges and I see the BSA Explorer Program as a step in the right direction to turn the tide on this alarming problem facing the profession,” said Michael Dinan, Partner and Director of Recruiting for IKC.

Through career exploring, high school students are able to have hands-on experience with the accounting profession. Initial contact is made by the exploring post via career interest surveys conducted by the BSA in the area high schools. The recent survey indicated over 450 students having an interest in accounting careers.

As you read this in The Trusted Professional, the HSRTF will have delivered the first wave of its presentations and will undoubtedly be busy working on lining up more engagements and finding more creative ways to reach out and deliver on their mission: “To motivate interest in the Career of Accountancy to high school and college students.”

The task force is chaired by Kenneth Hall, of Heidelberg Digital LLC, and includes team members Cliff Devries, Crosman Corporation; Derek Duncan, Insero Kasperski Ciaccia & Co.; Harry Howe, SUNY Geneseo; Jim Rodola, Viele Solimano & Swagler; Kristen Lupinetti, Rotenberg & Co.; Michael Chapman, Viele Solimano & Swagler; Scott Champagne, PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Steve Morse, Genesee Corporation. Chapter President William Dresnack, of SUNY Brockport, who is, by his own decree, a member of all Rochester Chapter committees, has joined in as well. Also, by decree of the chapter president, all members of the Young CPAs Committee and CPA Candidates Committee are also members of the HSRTF.