This is my third and final report as President of the Auditing Section. I wrote my second report immediately after the Midyear Conference in Orlando. While I indicated that we had another very successful conference (which was not news to those of you who attended), I was holding my breath regarding the cost, which I am happy to report was a pleasant surprise. Thanks go to chair Jeff Cohen and the members of the 2002 Mid-Year Conference Program Committee for the Conference's success. Bob Ramsay will chair the 2003 Mid-Year Conference Program. The Spring issue of The Auditor's Report includes information about the 2003 Conference. The deadline for submitting papers is September 1, 2002. I am sure Bob would still like to hear from you, if you are interested in volunteering for the Conference. I am also sure that Bill Heninger, chair of the CPE Committee, and Mark DeFond, chair of the Doctoral Consortium Committee, would be interested in your suggestions.

By the time you receive this issue of The Auditor's Report, you should have already made your plans for the AAA Annual Meeting in San Antonio. The Auditing Section is well represented on the program. Chair of the 2002 Annual Meeting Committee, Randy Elder, received 77 submissions, up from 72 submissions the prior year (while the total AAA submissions declined from 676 to 626). Forty-five papers were accepted (30 for auditing sessions, 6 for interdisciplinary sessions, and 9 for the forum). Randy and I want to thank the reviewers for their timely and substantive feedback on the 77 papers sent out for review. Special thanks also to Randy for managing this year's new electronic submission process, and making sure it worked smoothly for Section members. Bryan Church will chair the 2003 Annual Meeting Committee.

The Section had several milestones this year. The first was the online election of Section officers. The Executive Committee deemed this election format a success and this fall's election for 2003-2004 office holders will also be online. It is still not too late to nominate yourself or a colleague! I especially want to remind you of the Section's new award this year: the Innovation in Auditing and Assurance Education Award. The announcements for officeholder and award nominations are reprinted in this issue of the newsletter. All have a deadline of July 1, 2002.

The second milestone was the 25th anniversary issue of The Auditor's Report. Our newsletter has become an important source of information about auditing-related issues as well as Section news. For example, in addition to the regular columns, "Have you seen…?" compiled by Brad Reed and John Reisch, and the "ASB Update" by Ray Whittington, the Spring issue contained an update on developments in international auditing standards by Roger Simnett and Kay Tatum, an outline of the COSO's enterprise-wide risk management project by Mark Beasley, Doug Prawitt, and Larry Rittenberg, and the press release of the GAO changes to auditor independence requirements. When one adds to the issues covered in the 25th anniversary issue, the ASB's release of a new fraud exposure draft to supersede SAS No. 82 and the almost daily press on Enron and Andersen, the importance and opportunities for auditing research and education have never been greater.

The third and related milestone is transforming the newsletter from a hard copy to electronic distribution. Newsletter editor, Mark Taylor has done a great job not only managing this change, but also taking advantage of this opportunity to enhance the newsletter in terms of substance and layout. In case you missed the 25th anniversary issue, it is available along with earlier issues of the newsletter on the Section's web site.

In part, the change to an electronic newsletter is a reflection of the times, but it was also one of several actions the Executive Committee took to put the section's finances back on a sound footing. Based on the analyses and projections provided by treasurer Rick Tubbs, I think that we have succeeded. The one uncertainty is that the AAA is also experiencing financial difficulties, and their actions can impact the sections.

Regarding issues still in process, I would like to mention two. First, I want to thank all who responded to my request to email the editors of the Journal of Accountancy expressing your support of the Journal to continue publishing the Practice Summaries from Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory. At the time of writing this report, I have no news to give you, other than we have not given up. Arnie Wright is not leaving any door unopened! However, if our efforts fail to persuade the editors of the Journal of Accountancy to change their policy, the Executive Committee in conjunction with Arnie Wright (outgoing editor) and Bill Messier (incoming editor) will pursue other publication outlets that provide an outreach to practitioners.

The second issue concerns whether it is time for the Section to change its name to recognize the expansion of assurance services with their teaching-related and research-related issues. I asked the Communications Committee to examine this question. As you will recall, the committee chair, Roger Debreceny, asked you in an email to respond to a web-based survey. Both Roger and I want to thank all of you who responded to the survey. Roger received 418 responses, many with detailed comments. The responses to the survey will provide the basis of a report by the Communications Committee that will be discussed at the next Executive Committee meeting. The primary finding is that there is no overwhelming desire for a change in the name of the Section with 237 responding "no", 92 responding "yes", and 89 being "neutral" to the question "Should we change the name of the Auditing Section?" When finalized, the Committee's report will be made available on the Section's web site.

Another item on the Executive Committee's agenda for its meeting in San Antonio is the Section's web site. If you have any suggestions for the web site, please forward them to webmaster Glen Gray or myself.

As Vice President, I was especially struck by the large amount of work that goes on in the Section, much of it behind the scenes so that those involved do not always get the credit they deserve. This year has been no exception. Accordingly, I want to recognize the chairs of the Section's standing committees: Kay Tatum, Auditing Standards Committee; Roger Debreceny, Communications Committee; Bill Dilla, Education Committee; Bill Wright, Research Committee; and Bob Tucker, Membership and Regional Coordinators Committee. The success of the Section is largely due to the unselfish efforts of these individuals and the members of their committees, together with similar efforts and the hard work of the members of the Section's various program committees and awards committees.

Finally, I want to recognize and thank the members of this year's executive committee (not that their work is over yet!): Stan Biggs (Past President), Rick Tubbs (Treasurer), Audrey Gramling (Secretary), Abe Akresh (Vice President-Practice), Joe Carcello (Vice President-Academic) and Andy Bailey (Historian). The highlight of my term has been interacting with these dedicated, hard-working individuals. The Section owes Stan, Audrey and Abe special thanks as their terms on the Executive Committee end in San Antonio. We will specifically recognize their efforts at the Auditing Section Luncheon in San Antonio. I hope to see you all there.