Meeting & Agendas

The minutes were reviewed. Chris motioned for approval, Donna seconded, and the minutes were approved by the committee

ACNT 1331 and 1347 labs were put into place this fall semester. ACNT 1371, 2303, and 2304 will be implemented soon. Tracie and Jay shared that in the tax labs students are using RIA UltraTax and have already completed several tax forms. In addition, students also use the RIA tax research software to complete research problems. Kate discussed the value of practical applications as an employer of our students.

The accounting department is requesting that the advisory committee support a request to administration for a $5,000 travel budget to be used by the full-time accounting faculty who teach in the CPA track courses. Denise shared the importance of faculty staying current in changes in the accounting profession. The faculty believe that a dedicated budget will allow faculty to plan continuing professional education. Reed shared that currently the dean's budget has $15,000 of travel that is shared across many departments and that many departments request to use this money. Gary motioned for approval of the request and Donna seconded. There was some discussion by committee members if $5,000 was enough but the general consensus was that this dollar amount was a good start. The motion passed by full support of the committee.

Reed welcomed our new members present: Kate, Gary, Chase, and Connie. He discussed the importance of the advisory committee in workforce programs at ACC and the role of the advisory committee. The committee is required to meet once a year but usually meets bi-annually. In addition, Denise shared that Ed Santiago has resigned from serving on the committee. The committee approved the appointment of Kate Rhoden, Gary Brown, Connie Clark, David Crumbaugh, Chase Insogna, and Bruce Mueller. An election for the new chair and vice-chair was held. Chris nominated Kate Rhoden as chair and vice-chair as Jim Pumphret, Gary seconded. The committee unanimously approved the election of Kate Rhoden as chair and Jim Pumphret as vice-chair.

Reed Peoples shared information about the upcoming bond election. There are currently three propositions on ballot in November 2014. In addition, he shared information about our current programs including 8 full-time faculty and 30 adjunct faculty. Reed also shared about the passing of Dr. David Floyd last Thursday. The intention is to hire full-time faculty members to replace faculty that are no longer with us. Reed and Brian Voss shared about our different accounting programs. Reed requested that the advisory committee encourage anyone who meets the educational requirements and is interested in teaching adjunct, please contact him.

The committee recommended that the accounting department consider a tax certificate program due to employment demands.

Larry and Tracie shared information about our new accounting club. The club was started based on a request from students. Our first event this fall was the advising and orientation to our program. The second event was sponsored by TSCPA and was a Meet the Firms event. We had over 70 students participated and 7 firms from the local area. The third event will be in November and is a skills workshop about resume writing, cover letters, thank you letters and in addition, Donna Hiller from the state board will discuss the CPA exam process. The advisory committee recommended that we have the meet the firms event after the October 15 deadline. The accounting advisory committee recommended that we contact Texas Comptroller, Internal Revenue Service, and the Austin chamber to see if they would be interested in participating in the future.

Brian, Jay, and Tracie shared about participation in the community tax center during the spring semester. ACC usually provides about 30 students that prepare tax returns for low-income individuals in the Austin area.

Next meeting will be held May 1, 2015 during the lunch hour. Meeting was adjourned at 4:45pm