Staying Connected

The Society's move to Wall Street is a smart fiscal decision that prioritizes the NYSSCPA of the future. Membership dues that would have been spent solely on rent if we remained in our current Midtown office will instead be dedicated to upgrading our technological infrastructure at a state-of-the-art facility that is currently being designed specifically to meet the Society's needs. It is abundantly clear that, with the reconstruction of the World Trade Center complex, the Financial District is rebounding as the central location for up-and-coming businesses and their clients.

A move to Wall Street represents a return to our roots. After operating in Midtown offices for more than 60 years, we are not only returning to the neighborhood in which the NYSSCPA was founded in 1897, but we are moving to a location directly across the street from the Society's first office, which is today the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1896, New York became the first state to offer a CPA license; one year later, recognizing the need for an organization that would advocate for this newly recognized profession before the state legislature, some of those early licensees established the first state professional association in the country for newly licensed CPAs—the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. In this way, it will be a homecoming of sorts when the Society moves to its new Wall Street offices.

Most importantly, Society members will benefit from this move—whether they visit us on a monthly basis or never step foot in the office. Connectivity is a key component to better serving our members. Among other technological enhancements, our new office will include an online broadcast studio; this will allow us to produce more webcast content that can be viewed wherever members have an Internet connection. The office will also feature committee meeting rooms equipped with technology that will make long-distance participation a benefit instead of a struggle. This also means a government-affairs program that can mobilize members instantly, a website that allows CPAs to upload their continuing professional education (CPE) history to the state licensing authority, and an extensive and expanded program for students and young professionals.

The Next Chapter

As we embark on this latest move, we look forward to honoring the rich history of the NYSSCPA and some of America's financial giants—our former members—who built this organization. As Homer Pace, NYSSCPA past president and cofounder of Pace University, remarked in 1925 on the occasion of the Society's establishment of a permanent headquarters in downtown Manhattan, the “act of setting up our own professional home … is significant. It marks a definite step in our development as a profession and a society.”

We have come so far in those nearly 90 years. Let our return to Wall Street mark the beginning of what is sure to be the next exciting and productive chapter in this great organization's history. Stay tuned to the Society's website, http://www.nysscpa.org, as we begin rolling out a series of activities for members to participate in during this transition process.