Members vote down bylaw amendment: leadership promises to use findings to reinforce profession's value and reputation.

• Position: Just in ... - American Institute of Certified Public Accountants - Brief Article

Members of the AICPA have voted down a proposed bylaw change that would have enabled the "granting of an interdisciplinary global credential by an affiliated entity to qualified persons who seek to obtain it," with 62.7% voting against and 37.3% voting in favor. Approximately 134,000 or 39% of all members cast ballots. Approval by two-thirds of the members voting was necessary for the initiative to move from exploration to implementation.

"We believe we took the right course by putting this decision into the hands of the members. The members have spoken and we will not move forward with this initiative," said Barry Melancon, AICPA CEO and President. "Although many CPAs did not see this credential as the solution to issues they are facing, numerous members and state CPA societies were actively involved in the debate. We have learned a great deal from this dialogue, and we will use this knowledge to find new solutions.

"The member, market and student research that was conducted throughout this exploratory process provided valuable data that the AICPA can use to sharpen its focus and take actions designed to extend and reinforce the reputation of the CPA profession," continued Melancon. "For example, the research into the attitudes of students revealed that understanding the CPA Vision significantly increases student interest in obtaining a CPA, from 4% of all college students to 11%. This and other findings from the student research gave us a solid foundation for the recently launched $25 million campaign aimed at helping students better understand the career opportunities offered by the CPA profession."

The intensive discussion about the credential focused CPAs' attention on how to maintain and extend the profession's...