Communicator - Winter 1997
A publication of the AAA Two Year Section
AAA Two-Year Section Home Page
Contents:
John Ribezzo, Professor
Department of Business Administration
Community College of Rhode Island
My purpose for writing this article is to encourage accounting professors at two-year colleges to publish their opinions, thoughts, beliefs, and impressions on subjects relating to their field. It may be asked why two-year instructors would need to publish when they are not faced with the "publish or perish" specter that our four year colleagues endure? My answer is two-fold: (1) the satisfaction of seeing your ideas in print is very rewarding and (2) the information you expound on in your writing can serve to enhance your performance in the classroom. Hence the title, "Publishing as a Aid to Faculty Development."
Throughout the rest of this article I will discuss my personal
experiences in publishing. This will help you to develop your own ideas
and also experience the satisfaction that I have achieved.
Getting Started
Choosing a subject is one of the most difficult steps in writing an article. One suggestion is to search back in your teaching and professional experiences and try to recall a topic that was of interest to you and that you wanted to learn more about when you had the chance. My first article resulted from an interest I have in local history, as well as a professional affiliation I have with the Academy of Accounting Historians. Over the years I have purchased numerous books, pamphlets, and circulars, etc. related to local history. One day I came across the records of the trustee of a school district in Johnston, Rhode Island, my hometown. The records dated back to the late eighteen-hundreds. I thought it would be a good idea to couple my interest in local history with my knowledge in accounting. I described the duties of the trustee and illustrated the trustee's report. I also outlined the recommen-dations that the trustee made to the officers of the school district. Finally, in my conclusion, I tied in the above comments with various accounting considerations. As a member of the Academy of Accounting Historians I was able to submit this article for publication in the Academy's newsletter The Accounting Historians Note-book. Consequently, this is a good way to develop sources for publication. Most profes-sional organizations have newsletters, and editors are always looking for interesting articles to publish. I know this from personal experience, being past editor of the Communicator. The second article I published came about from a professional engagement as a member of the supervisory committee of a local credit union. Serving in an internal assurance function inspired me to write about the benefits of an annual certified audit. By law, the credit union only required a certified audit every three years. My belief (continued on page 2) was that to have continuity from year to year, an annual audit was needed. In the article I discussed the various types of audits a credit union may have. In describing the nuances of a certified audit, I also discussed the various positions and opinions people in the credit union movement had regarding this topic. When I was finished, I had to decide where to publish the article. Since I geared it toward individuals in management and on the boards of credit unions, I choose a popular publication entitled Credit Union News. Interestingly this was the only article I was ever compensated for.
Another way in which you can develop a topic for publication is to
co-author an article with a colleague. I have been a practicing Certified
Public Accountant since 1981 and during the tax season I prepare tax
returns. Several times I needed to refer to a real estate settlement
statement to complete a client's return. I thought it would be a good idea
to provide tax preparers with a guide line for using these settlement
statements. Since I was not familiar with the legal aspects of a real
estate closing, I turned to one of my colleagues, Professor Joseph Parys,
who is a Law professor. We put our heads together and came up with what I
think serves as a good source for the tax professional. We submitted the
article to several publications and it was eventually published in Real
Estate Accounting & Taxation.
Sources for Publication
In deciding on a source for publication, the following references are very helpful:
Writing Pointers
The following items are a must read before getting started.
Conclusion
The experiences I have described have resulted in my successful publication of numerous articles. When I first started writing, I was unsure of my abilities as a writer. I sought out a colleague, Professor James Twining, who is an English professor. He did not discus grammatical considerations, but focused on the format of the article and the audience I was trying to reach. His advice was instrumental in building my confidence and enabling me to publish my first article. This proves that you do not have to be an English major to be a successful writer. If you use the abilities you have developed over your professional career, you can also be a successful writer.
Megatrends In Financial Accounting
Roger A. Gee
San Diego Mesa College
email: rogerg@cts.com
This, I hope, will be the first of many columns. It will emphasize trends that you and I see in financial accounting that should be shared with our students. -- Rog.
If you teach like I used to, you probably emphasized
bond issues as instruments of long-term financing. When your students look
at annual reports, however, they are less likely to find bonds than other
instruments. Check out the table below. I got the numbers from Accounting
Trends & Techniques [AICPA, 1995].
|
Long-term Debt Instruments |
||||
|
Companies in 1994 |
||||
|
Number |
Percent |
|||
| Unsecured: | ||||
| Notes or loans |
496 |
65.96% |
||
| Debentures |
183 |
24.34% |
||
| Commercial Paper |
73 |
9.71% |
||
| Collateralized: | ||||
| Capitalized leases |
309 |
63.19% |
||
| Notes or loans |
92 |
18.81% |
||
| Mortgages |
88 |
18.00% |
||
| Convertible: | ||||
| Debentures |
72 |
75.79% |
||
| Notes |
23 |
24.21% |
||
You can see that the number of companies that report unsecured notes or loans are more than 2 1/2 times the number of companies that report debenture bonds. When assets are named as collateral, there are 1 1/2 times more companies that report leases than companies that report notes, loans, and mortgages combined.
The "New Securities" column in the Wall Street Journal shows the kinds of financing that large corporations and government organizations are using today. Many international corporations use Eurobonds. Municipal bonds are still used by governmental organizations. Unsecured notes, though, are the most popular instruments for long-term debt financing.
I changed my teaching emphasis to include long-term notes and capitalized leases. Long-term notes are interesting to the students because they can contain so many different provisions. For example, my students learn to create monthly, annual, or balloon payment schedules. They also learn about requirements for maintaining levels of working capital. They compute various financial ratios that can be called for in long-term notes.
When I cover capitalized leases, my students learn how the present value of the leases are computed. They also learn how capital leases are reported on the balance sheet and how they are amortized.
I still discuss bonds. I point out how the prices of bonds, that are purchased in the resale market, are computed. My students learn why premiums and discounts on bonds are important at that time. Investing in bonds is of special interest to my older students.
If you see trends in financial accounting, let me know how you handle them in the classroom. Contact me via my email address listed above or send your comment to me at: San Diego Mesa College F204 7250 Mesa College Dr. San Diego, CA 92111.
The objective of the Two-Year Section's Curriculum Revision Committee is
to continue a dialog regarding curriculum revision efforts and interests.
To that end, we request you complete the survey below. The results will be
reported at the two-year section meeting , at the annual AAA conference in
August, and published in a future newsletter. If you have any questions
that you would like put in future surveys, please include them with survey
responses. Please use a separate paper. Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely,
Barbara Chiapetta
Curriculum Revision Committee Chair
SURVEY
ASSUME YOU HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE CURRICULUM DESIGN AND OBJECTIVES
OF YOUR FIRST YEAR ACCOUNTING COURSE, AND TRANSFERABILITY IS NOT AN ISSUE.
GIVEN THAT ASSUMPTION:
1. What topics would you eliminate? Your response may be specific or
general.
2. What topics would you add or expand? Your response may be specific or
general.
3. Indicate if you would/would not include the development of the
following skills in the broad learning objectives of this course:
|
SKILLS |
YES |
NO |
| a. Interpersonal skills | ||
| b. Written communication skills | ||
| c. Oral communication skills | ||
| d. Critical thinking skills | ||
| e. Learning to Learn Skills | ||
| f. Computer Skills |
Please mail completed survey to: Prof. Barbara Chiapetta
Nassau Community College One Education Drive Garden City, New York 11530
TACTYC MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT - 1997
Location: Chicago, IL
Hosted by: Harold Washington Community College
Dates: April 24-26, 1997
For additional information, contact:
Professor Barbara Chiapetta (516)572-7545
For membership information or to be placed on a mailing list, contact:
Professor Hank Wallace(716)475-6881
I am very honored to represent the two-year college accounting faculty of the American Accounting association. I have been very active in the Two-Year College Section over the past several years, first as a representative in the Northeast Region, and then as Secretary/Editor. During that time I also served as the chair of the membership committee. Although efforts in the past were not successful in increasing membership, we have been able to hold the level of membership fairly steady. I feel that we should now concentrate our efforts on developing a pipeline for leadership positions in our Section. The people who have remained loyal and dedicated to the Section by maintaining their membership need to step up and fill these leadership positions.
Like most people, I was concerned about the time and effort it would take to fulfill the requirements of the position I was offered. In the long-run, the fulfillment I received, along with the acquaintances I made, far outweighed the work involved. The best place to start is at the regional representative level and then work your way through the officer positions. To better acquaint you with the responsibilities of these positions, a description of each follows.
Regional Representative: Works toward increasing membership in his/her region, helps coordinate special sessions sponsored by the Two-Year college section for the region's annual meeting, and reports news from the region.
Secretary/Editor: Publishes, solicits advertising, and handles billing for the communicator, reviews and edits papers for publication, and takes minutes at the national meeting.
Vice-Chair: Coordinates the program at the national conference by soliciting members for sessions and works with the regional representative to increase programs at the regional conferences.
Chair: Conducts the annual meeting for the current year, acts as the liaison person with the AAA, and communicates with members and regional representatives through the Communicator and personal correspondence.
Coordinator of Regional Representatives/Officer at Large:
Provides assistance and direction to regional representatives to meet
deadlines for panels and sessions at regional meetings, attends meeting of
section and regional chairs at national meeting, and coordinates any CPE
program within the region.
Once you have served in one or more of the above capacities, other avenues for becoming active include serving on the regional steering committee, which organizes the regional meetings or serving on one of the national committees of the AAA.
I hope that you will seriously consider contributing to the continued
success of the Two-Year College section by volunteering your time. I know
that your efforts will be paid back ten-fold in the satisfaction you
receive.
John Ribezzo, Chair Two-Year College Section
GET INVOLVED IN THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE SECTION
The Two-Year College Section needs its members to become active and assume leadership positions.
Please indicate your interest by returning this form to: John Ribezzo, Community College of Rhode Island, 400 East Avenue, Warwick, RI 02886.
Check the areas of possible interest:
___Serve as the Two-Year College Section Secretary/Editor and then work through the other offices.
___Serve as a Two-Year College Regional Representative in my region (a two-year appointment).
___Conduct a regional continuing education workshop, panel, or round table discussion.
Topic_______________________________________________________
___Conduct a national continuing education workshop, panel, or round table discussion.
Topic_______________________________________________________
___Write an article for the Communicator. (The editor will be happy to help in any way possible.)
Topic_______________________________________________________
Name: _____________________________________
College: _____________________________________
Address: _____________________________________
Telephone: _____________________________________
Below are listed the various committees of the AAA, along with a short description of each. Please consider joining a committee so that the Two-Year College Section is well represented. Check-off the committee(s) you are interested in and return this form to: John Ribezzo, Community College of Rhode Island, 400 East Avenue, Warwick, R. I. 02886.
___Accounting Accreditation Committee: monitor issues and developments in accreditation that may have
an impact on accounting programs.
___Accounting Education Advisory Committee: serves as the senior committee for Association activities
that involve accounting education.
___AICPA/AAA Collaborative Award Selection Committee: select the recipient(s) of the award.
___By-Laws Committee: review existing Association By-Laws and recommend revisions, assist the
Governance Committee, and analyze any proposed changes in the By-Laws.
___Carter Scholarships Committee: recommend recipients for the Arthur H. Carter Foundation Student
Scholarships.
___Committee To Promote Interaction Between Two-Year Faculty And Faculty at Other Institutions:
facilitate interaction between two-year faculty and the activities of four-year and graduate colleges.
___Competitive Manuscript Committee: select recipients of the Competitive Manuscript Award.
___Continuing Education Committee: carry out the continuing education mission of the Association.
___Corporate Accounting Policy Committee: plan and hold the Corporate Accounting Policy Seminar.
___Deloitte & Touche Wildman Medal Award Committee: administer the John R. Wildman Medal award
program.
___Distinguished International Faculty Exchange Committee: oversee the faculty exchange program and
assist Association staff in the administration of the program.
___Doctoral Consortium Committee: plan and hold the Doctoral Consortium.
___Doctoral Fellowships Committee: select the recipients of the AAA doctoral fellowship
grants.
___Electronic Materials and Dissemination Committee: assist in maximizing use of the Internet and other
electronic media in the Association's Faculty and Program Development activities.
___Finance Committee: develop financial goals and strategies for the Association.
___Financial Accounting And Reporting Conceptual Committee: consider the recommendations
in the reports of the AICPA Special Committee on Financial Reporting and the AIMR Report.
___Financial Accounting Standards Committee: coordinate all Association activities with respect to
financial accounting standard-setting.
___Financial Reporting Issues Conference Committee: plan and hold the Financial Reporting Issues
Conference.
___Globalization Initiatives Committee: evaluate selected discussion memoranda and exposure drafts
related to international financial accounting and reporting and auditing standards.
___Governance Committee: evaluate whether current governance procedures provide for appropriate
member participation and to propose by-law changes and/or procedures, as appropriate.
___Innovation In Accounting Education Committee: select the recipient(s) of the Innovation in
Accounting Education Award.
___Membership Services and Subscriptions Committee: work with the Association staff and other AAA
committees to define and enhance the benefits of membership.
___Minority Faculty Development Committee: coordinate Association activities with respect to minority
recruitment and development.
___New Faculty Consortium Committee: plan and hold the New Faculty Consortium.
___Nominations Committee: select a list of nominees to AAA offices for election by the membership
and carry out other duties specified in the By-Laws and Policy and Procedures Manual.
___Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award Screening Committee: identify works of
exceptional merit from published accounting books and articles that meet the guidelines for the
"Notable Contributions" award.
___Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award Selection Committee: select the recipient(s) of
the award from those books and articles identified by the Screening Committee as notable contributions.
___Outstanding Accounting Educator Award Committee: select one or (at most) two recipient(s) of the
Outstanding Accounting Educator Award, using criteria approved by the Executive Committee.
___Professional Examinations Committee: conduct activities as appropriate to assist communication and
interaction between the membership of the Association and the various professional accounting
examination bodies, to monitor activities of these bodies and to evaluate the implications of their
respective examinations for accounting education.
___Professional Practice Issues Committee: plan and hold one or more round table discussions on current
issues or problems in professional practice and publish the results.
___Professionalism and Ethics Committee: foster ethical conduct among members and ethics education
and scholarship in the accounting profession.
___Program Advisory Committee: assist the President and the Executive Director in developing the
technical program for the Annual Meeting.
___Publications Committee: monitor and coordinate all aspects of the Association's publications program.
___Research Advisory Committee: serve as the coordinating committee for Association activities that involve accounting research.
___Securities and Exchange Commission Liaison Committee: conduct activities as appropriate to assist
communication and interaction between by the SEC and the membership of the Association.
___Trueblood Seminars Committee: assist Deloitte & Touche in conducting the Trueblood Seminars.
Mid-Atlantic
Dates: April 10-13, 1997
Location: Baltimore, MD
Regional President:
Dana A. Forgione
University of Baltimore
1420 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-5779
Phone: (410) 837-5253
Fax: (410) 837-5722
Email: dforgione@ubmail.ubalt.edu
Program Coordinator:
P. Michael Davis
University of Baltimore
1420 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-5779
Phone: (410) 837-5094
Fax: (410) 837-5722
Midwest
Dates: April 17-19, 1997
Location: Oak Brook, IL
Regional President:
Lucille E. Lammers
Department of Accounting 5520
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-5520
Phone: (309) 692-1479
Fax: (309) 438-8431
Email: llamers@heartland.bradley.edu
Program Coordinator:
Michael G. Nibbelin
Department of Accountancy and Finance
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL 61920-3099
Phone: (217) 581-6939
Fax: (217) 581-6247
Email: cfmcn@eiu.edu
Northeast
Dates: April 24-27, 1997
Location: Binghamton, NY
Regional President:
Paul H. Mihalek
Department of Accounting
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117-1599
Phone: (860) 768-4363
Fax: (860) 768-4398
Email: mihalek@uhavax.hartford.eduProgram Coordinator:
Sara A. Reiter
Department of Accounting
School of Management
SUNY at Binghamton
Binghamton, NY 13902-6015
Phone: (607) 777-6174
Fax: (607) 777-4422
Email: sreiter@bingvmb.cc.
binghamton.edu
Ohio
Dates: May 2-3, 1997
Location: Dayton, OH
Regional President:
Mark F. Asman
Dept of Accounting and MIS
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0262
Phone: (419) 372-8351
Fax: (419) 372-2875
Email: masman@cba.bgsu.edu
Program Chair:
David L. Senteney
School of Accountancy
Collage of Business
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701-2979
Phone: (614) 593-2129
Fax: (614) 593-1368
Email: senteney@ouvaxa.
cats.ohiou.edu
Southeast
Dates: April 24-26, 1997
Location: Nashville, TN
Regional President/Program Coordinator:
Paula B. Thomas
Dept of Accounting-Box 50
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Phone: (615) 898-2558
Fax: (615) 898-5839
Email: pbthomas@frank.mtsu.edu
Program Coordinator:
Jeannie D. Johnson
Dept of Accounting-Box 50
Middle Tenn. State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Phone: (615) 898-2558
Fax: (615) 898-5839
Email: jdjohnson@mtsu.eduSouthwest
Dates: March 11-15, 1997
Location: New Orleans, LA
Regional President:
Wilda F. Meixner
Department of Accounting
Derrick Hall
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: (512) 245-3295
Fax: (512) 245-8375
Email: sm05@swt.edu
Program Coordinator
Ellen D. Cook
Department of Accounting
College of Business Administration
Box 43450
University of Southwestern Louisiana
Lafayette, LA 70504
Phone: (318) 482-6212
Fax: (318) 482-5906
Email: edcook.usl.edu
Western
Dates: May 1-3, 1997
Location: Rohnert Park, CA
Regional President:
Ahmad Hosseini
School of Business and Economics
Sonoma State University
Rohmert Park, CA 94928
Phone: (707) 664-3935
Fax: (707) 664-4009
Email: ahmad.hosseini@sonoma.edu
Program Coordinator:
John E. Karayan
College of Business Administration
California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona
Pomona, CA 91768-4083
Phone: (909) 869-2367
Fax: (909) 869-4353
Email: jekarayan@csupomona.edu
OFFICERS
CHAIRPERSON
John Ribezzo
Community College of Rhode Island
400 East Avenue
Warwick, RI 02886
W: (401)825-2252
H: (401)944-6995
FAX: (401)825-2365
E-Mail: jribezzo@ccri.cc.ri.us
VICE-CHAIRPERSON
Ellen L. Sweatt
DeKalb College -
North Campus
2101 Womack Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
W: (770)551-3086
H: (770)971-9695
FAX: (770)604-3795
E-Mail: esweatt@dekalb.dc.
peachnet.edu
SECRETARY/EDITOR
Margaret F. Criner
University College - University of Maine
210 Texas Avenue
Bangor, ME 04401
W: (207)581-6067
H: (207)866-7962
FAX: (207)581-6069
E-Mail: mcriner@maine.maine.edu
COORDINATOR OF REGIONAL
REPRESENTATIVES/
OFFICER AT LARGE
Robert C. Maloney
3211 Providence Avenue
University of Alaska - Anchorage
Anchorage, AK 99508
W: (907)786-4137
H: (907)688-3356
FAX: (907)786-4119
E-Mail: rcmi@orion.alaska.edu1
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
Richard Smith
College Place
Penn State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA 15801
(814)375-4801
MID-WEST REGION
Edward Streif
St. Louis Community College - Meramec
113333 Big Bend Blvd.
Kirkwood, MO 63122
(314)984-7508
NORTHEAST REGION
Lynn Mazzola
Nassau Community College
One Education Drive
Garden City, NY 11530
(516)572-7544
SOUTHWEST REGION
Andrew H. Lawrence
Delgado Community College
West Bank Campus
2600 General Meyer Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70114
(504)361-6274
WESTERN REGION
Barbara Croteau
Santa Rosa Junior College
1501 Mendocin Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707)527-4627
Dick Wasson
Southwestern College
900 Otay Lakes Road
Chula Vista, CA 91912
(619)421-6700 X5537
SOUTHEAST REGION
Lou Squyres
DeKalb College - South Campus
3251 Panthersville Road
Decatur, GA 30034
(404)244-5079
OHIO REGION
Bill Mundy
Columbus State Community College
550 East Spring St.
Columbus, OH 443215
(614)227-5176
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