NOTES & NEWS
Reminder: Update Your CPA Signage
T
he final component in the transition from legacy branding to CPA branding was the requirement for CPA firms to
update their office and building signage to remove any legacy references (i.e., CA, CGA, or CMA).
The deadline for converting any legacy office and building signage to “CPA” was December 31, 2017, and all firms
are now expected to have updated their signage accordingly. If a firm still has any legacy references in their office and/or
building signage, they will need to update this signage immediately.
If you have any questions or would like to report a concern, please contact us at [email protected].
CPAEF Speaker Series
T
he Chartered Professional Accountants’ Education Foundation of British Columbia
(CPAEF) advances accounting education in BC by enhancing the quality and quantity
of students entering the profession, providing support for those who deliver accounting
education, and fostering the ongoing educational experience of CPABC members, candidates,
and students.
A popular initiative that supports faculty development is the Speaker Series program, which
enables BC post-secondary institutions (PSIs) to apply for funding to bring notable speakers to
their business schools. Each PSI can apply for a grant of up to $2,500 per sessi on, a maximum
of twice per year. Since the inception of the Speaker Series program in 2011, 13 business schools
in BC have received a cumulative $70,000 in grants to support their faculty development.
Interested schools must apply through the CPAEF website (bccpa.ca/cpaef), detailing which
speaker they would like to enlist. The CPAEF does not have its own roster of speakers—PSIs
choose the speakers themselves. To be eligible for funding, however, the speakers chosen must
address topics that will advance accounting education by supporting faculty development.
Here are some examples of sessions held this past spring with funding from the Speaker Series
program:
• The University of the Fraser Valley and Thompson Rivers University held a joint workshop
on the “Ivey Case Methodology,” led by Fraser Johnson, PhD, chair of the Leenders Supply
Chain Management Association at the Ivey Business School, Western University. The
workshop gave faculty a new case-study method for analyzing typical business issues.
• Langara College held a joint session with the University of British Columbia (UBC) in
Vancouver to review current and emerging accounting standards. Speakers included Linda
Mezon, FCPA, FCA, chair of the Accounting Standards Board, and CPABC PD instructors
Diane McDonald, CPA, CA, and Erin Rao, CPA, CA.
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) held two half-day workshops—“Generation Z”
and “The Use of Technology in the Classroom”—led by Vickie Cook, PhD, executive
director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Services at the University of
Illinois Springfield. In both workshops, Cook addressed the fact that Generation Z
students—the first group to have grown up surrounded by technology—have different
expectations, work habits, and learning styles.
• KPU and UBC co-hosted a one-day “Understanding Assessment” workshop with Kathy
Letourneau, CPA, CA, a principle academic with CPA Canada; A. Sidiq Ali, a
psychometrician and managing director of Research & Evaluation Consulting Inc.; and
Kristie Dukewich, a curriculum development consultant for Langara College and faculty
member in KPU’s department of psychology. This hands-on session explored how to select
the most appropriate assessment tool for the material being tested.
12 CPABC in Focus • July/August 2018
To learn more about the Speaker Series
program and the other means of support
provided by the CPAEF to members who are
full-time faculty at BC PSIs (including the
PD Pass for Academic Members), visit the
CPAEF website or contact David Chiang,
CPA, CA, CPABC’s vice-president of member
advice and programs at [email protected].
And, if you want to support CPAEF initiatives
like the Speaker Series with a financial dona-
tion, you can do so any time of year through
CPABC’s Online Services (services.bccpa.ca).
Linda Mezon, FCPA, FCA, chair of the Accounting Standards Board,
shares her expertise on accounting standards with educators from
Langara College and the University of British Columbia.
Deadline to update signage was December 31, 2017