Committees Plan an Active Year; Openings Still Available

By Lorrie Lamazor

The over 1,300 members serving on NYSSCPA technical, administrative and multi-disciplinary committees are off to a busy start and all committees have held their organizational meetings. Some groups still have openings for members interested in participating in the 1998-99 year which ends May 31.

Committee meetings provide forums for members to express their ideas and have an impact on proposed standards, regulations and legislation, and other professional issues. For example, 15 committees are actively discussing and reviewing the Uniform Accountancy Act and will provide feedback to the Society's Board of Directors for its October meeting. (See pages 1 and 9 for more on the UAA.)

The Society recently revised its committee structure to include multi-disciplinary committees which combine all prior committees with a specific industry focus into one umbrella group that address all specialties within that area. The new format better serves the changing needs of members, and benefits those working in industry, those whose client base includes a particular industry concentration, or any CPA interested in learning more about a specific field.

Many committees develop educational programs for Society members and the profession as a whole, and have scheduled numerous conferences, technical sessions and other CPE events through May. The 50 committee-sponsored FAE conferences are now underway including upcoming events on such industries and topics as publishing, non-profits, flow-thru entities, and fraud.

Members serving on tax committees can attend a special plenary session sponsored annually by the Tax Division Executive Committee, to take place this year on November 19 at the Sheraton New York Hotel. Other committees hold CPE sessions prior to their regular meetings.

Various membership and public relations committees sponsor public service and networking events. The Young CPAs Committee had a networking event in early September in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Cooperation with Bankers Committee held its 9th annual golf and tennis outing last month and numerous chapter committees sponsor similar events at local sites throughout the state. The Community Affairs Committee will hold a free educational session for representatives from non-profits and a reception to encourage CPA volunteerism. The Minority Group Recruitment and Equal Opportunity Committee members will co-sponsor a career fair with CPA Candidates Association, and the Membership Committee plans to serve donuts and coffee to those taking the New York CPA exam.