Happenings at spring Council meeting. (news update).

Here are some of the more significant actions and events that took place at the governing Council meeting Apr. 27-29:

* Council members were provided with several reports updating them on various important initiatives. Among them: computerization of the Uniform CPA Examination which will commence in Apr. 2004; the Special Committee on State Regulation with respect to monitoring and evaluating states' plans to implement aspects of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; and the CPA Student Recruitment Campaign with its strong success after the first two years (The CPA Letter, Apr.).

* Discussion regarding specialty accreditations resulted in Council approving a resolution allowing the AICPA to explore possible strategies, including relationships with strategic partners, to enhance the Personal Financial Specialist, Certified Information Technology Professional and Accredited in Business Valuation credentials. Council also authorized the AICPA Board of Directors to present viable strategies on any or all of the specialty credentials to Council for its consideration by its meeting this fall.

* The Professional Ethics Executive Committee presented three recommendations to enhance the profession's disciplinary process. Council authorized a membership referendum on two of the proposals which require changes to the bylaws (see page 1). In addition, Council approved the other proposal allowing PEEC to admonish a member when other sanctions are not appropriate to the circumstances; this proposal became effective with Council's approval.

* Council approved the AICPA's operating budget for fiscal year 2003-2004.

* Governor Terry Branstad was elected as a public member of the AICPA Board of Directors to fill a vacancy. Branstad had served four consecutive terms as Governor of Iowa, leaving office in 1999.

* William W. Holder was the recipient of the 2003 AICPA Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award. Dr. Holder currently is the Ernst & Young Professor at the University of Southern California's Leventhal School of Accounting and over the years has received numerous honors for his contributions to the accounting profession and accounting education. Accounting Today named him one of the 100 most influential people in the profession for 2001 and 2002.

* The 2003 AICPA Public Service Award was given to Mary Montoya of Sioux Falls, S.D. Montoya has been helping South Dakota's large and underserved community of Native American prison inmates for well over a decade. She has provided a wide spectrum of assistance to inmates, from preparing their tax returns and giving financial advice to transforming a prison auditorium into a chapel. Montoya is a partner in the firm Klanderud, Montoya, Wuebben & Feehan, PC, in Sioux Falls.