Meetings on Accreditation Continue

State Board Report

January 2017

Continuing to explore the value of accreditors for accounting education, the American Accounting Association sponsored a conference December 18-20 in Atlanta that brought together representatives from NASBA, AICPA, academicians, IMA and accrediting bodies. NASBA Past Chair Carlos E. Johnson, a member of the NASBA/AICPA Accreditation Task Force, reported the meeting had multiple speakers each giving short presentations on why accreditation of accounting education is important. Approximately 100 stakeholders were in attendance. The summarized conclusions from that meeting are to be distributed to the participants.

Following the AAA meeting, the AACSB met with NASBA and AICPA representatives to consider “Developing a New Process to Accredit Schools of Accountancy.” Dr. Johnson described this as a working meeting with sheets of paper posted all about the room filled with ideas on a process for accrediting schools of accountancy. He observed there was agreement that the profession should be more involved in the accreditation process, and that more consideration needs to be given to establishing a process similar to what architects and engineers currently have in place. Those professions make graduation from one of their approved schools a requirement for being eligible to take their licensing examination.