Head of the class.

PositionFinalentry - Dialogue with Charles W. Lamden - Interview

AS the director of the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy at San Diego State University; Dr. Sharon Lightner leads the faculty in training the next generation of GPAs. This is no small task with cuts to public school funding, changing requirements for new GPAs and, of course, the ever-changing regulatory world. Regardless, she is prevailing and has received numerous awards for her efforts, including 2007 Educator of the Year by the American Women's Society of Certified Public Accountants. California CPA caught up with the director to learn more about the front lines of accounting education.

How are the accounting Aztecs dealing with funding cuts?

We have increased class sizes, reduced the number of adjunct professors and reduced the number of students admitted to the university. The curtailment of our graduate student enrollment is especially challenging as California moves to implement a 150-semester unit requirement for CPA licensure.

Do you see any alternatives to making these cuts?

The cuts are a state resource allocation issue. The state spends more on the prison system than on public colleges and universities. Legislators and taxpayers need to decide to what extent they want to support public: education. With state financial support declining, universities are forced to look for alternative sources of" funding. The usual targets for increased funding include tuition or program excellence fees.

Accounting educators are more fortunate than others in public education because we have an identifiable profession to which we are closely aligned. Accounting professionals have been ardent supporters by frequently" providing monetary support or services for public education. However, they cannot, and should not, have to do it alone.

As educators, we need to consider sharing existing resources, efficiently utilizing technology, eliminating waste and redundancy, and supporting excellence and creative new ideas.

What do you believe is the biggest problem with California's education system?

The decline in relative financial support to public education. Recognizing there are fewer funds, we need to be smarter about the funds we do have. Let's find answers to hard questions. Does our state university system need 23 separate campuses? Could efficiencies and excellence be increased by cutting or combining certain campuses and programs while we grow others? Do tenure, unions and lower entrance requirements favoring local area students provide an...

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