Accounting Education Center is open for business: a valuable resource for educators, students, CPA exam candidates and all others interested in high-quality CPA education.

The AICPA supports educators, with resources to enhance the accounting curriculum in preparing students to become and trusted members of the CPA profession. To help fulfill this mission, the Academic and Career Development Team created the Accounting Education Center (www.aicpa.org/aec). The center contains accounting education and curriculum development resources, information to help raise students' awareness about the accounting profession, scholarship and award programs, and publications and reports provided by the AICPA.

Web site users also will find resources from the Minority Initiatives Committee, which aims to actively integrate minorities into the accounting profession to become CPAs and to enhance their upward mobility, and from the Work/Life and Women's Initiatives Committee, which promotes work/life balance and the upward mobility of women in the profession.

The center is part of the AICPA's member enhancement project, an initiative of special interest programs that allows members to join with other CPAs who share a common interest in a particular area, from audit quality and tax to business valuation, financial management and education. The Accounting Education Center is the seventh center to be launched; 11 centers in total will be created and launched over 18 months.

The Accounting Education Center is accessible through the home page of the AICPA (www.aicpa.org) or at www.aicpa.org/aec. For more information contact Joe Bittner, manager of academic and career development, at [e-mail] or 212-596-6282.

WHAT IT IS

The center is a Web site that offers education and curriculum development programs, student recruiting resources, information about scholarships and award programs and publications, reports and other studies. It also provides the resources made available by the Minority Initiatives Committee and the Work/Life and Women's Initiatives Committee.

WHAT IT OFFERS

The Web site contains a home page and the following tabs:

Resources. Contains information and resources related to (1) education and curriculum development--here you will find the Educational Competency Assessment Web site that includes the core competency framework and database, student and faculty development programs such as the internship and experiential learning guidelines and college residency grant program, classroom and curriculum materials such as the professor/practitioner case development program and the model tax curriculum; (2) career awareness; (3) scholar ships and awards; (4) publications, reports and studies; and (5) minority initiatives.

Community. Links to other areas of the AICPA and to strategic partners. It offers AEC members a forum to chat with each other.

Events. Contains information about accounting education conferences.

Membership. Provides information about AICPA educator and student membership.

Products. Provides information about AICPA resources available to students, educators and colleges and universities--in particular products offered at discounted rates and those that will support students' preparation for the CPA Exam.

WHO SHOULD VISIT THE CENTER

Those interested in

* Accounting education and curriculum development.

* Informing students about the accounting profession.

* AICPA minority initiatives and work/life and women's initiatives.

The center is available to the general public.