The Accounting EducatorThe Newsletter of the Teaching and Curriculum Section
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A Message from the ChairDonald E. Wygal, Rider University T&C Identity and T&C Community One of the issues that has received attention by the Executive Committee this year has been the possibility of a separate meeting for the T&C Section. Many of our members have expressed a concern about the fact that we are one of the only sections not to have a mid-year meeting. For some, this is seen as an indication that our section does not have the esteem or status of others that do have their own separate meeting. One of the reasons why we have not instituted a mid-year meeting is the recurring feedback that still another such event will further undermine the role of the regions. For instance, declining availability of travel funds for faculty is noted as a major reason why attendance at some regional meetings is declining. This is a concern of Association leaders. For the T&C to add its own mid-year meeting can be seen as still one more competitor for the scarce travel dollar. Indeed, the Executive Committee has worked this year to strengthen the quality and level of participation at regional meetings while also examining ways to enhance our identity as a section. The development of a support infrastructure of regional directors and associate directors is an important step. I encourage you to communicate with these leaders in your region to tell them how the meetings can best address your needs. The establishment this year of a Best Paper Award in the regions for Teaching and Curriculum papers is another plus for the section. While not every region was able this year to develop the necessary screening for such an award this first time through, the response has been quite favorable where the award was made. Many of our members have suggested that this type of recognition will give them a further incentive to submit a paper of high quality next year. Additional details on the awards are provided in the reports of the Regional Directors. As perhaps a first step in establishing a greater meeting presence of our own, the Executive Committee also has worked this year to establish a very strong Teaching and Curriculum presence at the CPE sessions prior to the Association Annual Meeting in August. These sessions are scheduled both for Saturday and Sunday, August 11 and 12. One reason for this approach is the hope that such sessions will provide more incentives for our members to attend the annual meeting. Further, given the recognition of a possible "perilous future," the need for considered responses to teaching and curricular issues is very apparent. Accordingly, the Executive Committee has sponsored several CPE sessions and has supported the development of many others. In keeping with the "strategic thinking" theme of my last message, I will be participating in a session scheduled for Saturday afternoon, August 11 on "Curriculum Best Practices: Designing a More Desirable Future." Presenters will include G. Fred Streuling (Brigham Young), Gary Sundem (University of Washington), Charlie Smith (Penn State) and Mike Moore (Ernst & Young Foundation). The session will identify some of the interesting approaches that successful programs have employed to address student recruitment, retention, development and other strategic needs. The specific needs/interests of attendees will be considered also, including identification of appropriate processes and methodologies. The Section website will provide attendees the opportunity for input on how the session can be streamlined to meet specific needs. Another session, scheduled for Sunday afternoon, August 12, will address teaching-related issues using experts identified by the AICPA Core Competency Best Practices Committee. Presenters include Debra Kerby (Truman State), Sherry Mills (New Mexico State), D.V. Rama (Texas A&M International) and Richard Brownlee (University of Virginia). Teaching strategies and techniques pertaining to classroom writing, problem-based cases, service learning and drama simulations will be addressed. Again, the T&C website is intended to provide opportunities for attendees to make this a truly interactive session, with emphasis on how the workshop can contribute to the effectiveness of your own course delivery. The Executive Committee is making these two sessions available to members at the lowest possible cost. While the charge for non-members will be $65 per session, T&C members will be able to attend for $35. If you know of colleagues who would/should attend, please encourage them to do so. If they are not section members, they can do the math and pay the ten bucks to join, still achieving a good savings over non-member prices. Given space limitations, I cannot go into detail on several other fine sessions being sponsored by the Section. These include ones on XML and XBRL on Sunday morning and afternoon with Skip White, Glen Gray and Roger Debreceny. Also, Faye Borthick, recipient of the Innovation in Accounting Education Award in 2000, is presenting a Sunday morning workshop on "Designing and Facilitating Online Courses." I encourage you to access the Association website and read the complete descriptions listed for the 2001 Annual Meeting CPE. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by the breadth and appeal of the offerings listed. While the Executive Committee was able to officially sponsor only a limited number of sessions, it provided encouragement to many others that will be offered. There should be something of appeal for most, if not all of our members. In addition, we have put in a request to have a reception for T&C members on Saturday during the late afternoon/early evening. The intent here is to provide a further opportunity for us to network and for community building. Room availability is not yet assured. We will provide an update on the status of the reception on our website. As an added note, let me point out that our Section breakfast is scheduled for Monday morning, August 13 and our Business meeting will be Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. While I hope that you all will be able to stay for the entire meeting, this series of activities on Saturday through Monday can work very well for those who must get "back to work." Identity and Community - Your Views It has been my hope this year to encourage a sense of community among our members. While the problems we face are many and varied, I take comfort in knowing that others share a common interest in moving forward. It is partly this sense that suggests to me that T&C members can make a difference not only in our Section but in most or all others as well. In an age when experts point to the benefits of interdisciplinary linkages, the T&C may be the one section best suited to knocking down the silo mentality. This is because the skills and talents of our members cut across all specialty areas. Accordingly, I encourage you to use the website and other means to convey your interests and ideas to the Executive Committee. Let us know how we can best move forward together. Please also make good use of your time and talents to address teaching and curricular issues pertaining to specialty areas of interest to you. This can help in building bridges among colleagues and sections and in showing that T&C members are worthy players on a larger playing field. |