Recruitment efforts successful in attracting best and brightest to CPA profession.

Efforts to pump up interest in accounting as a career choice through the profession's award-winning "Start Here. Go Places." student recruitment campaign (www.startheregoplaces.com) have yielded very positive results. After three years, the initiative has generated more than 929,000 responders (students responding to various elements of the campaign); 267,000 registrants (those signing up for continued information); and over 175,000 leads, 86% of whom are incremental leads (meaning they would not normally have been attracted to the accounting profession if not for this campaign).

In other signs of success, 42% of high school students who registered for the campaign are more likely to consider accounting as a result of the program, and 44% of those in college felt the same way. In fact, 68% of late high school and early college Start Here. Go Places. registrants have taken steps to pursue accounting.

Thus, the...