Indiana CPA Society Welcomes 2023-2024 Class of INCPAS Scholars

The Indiana CPA Society (INCPAS) is has announced the latest class of INCPAS Scholars.

The INCPAS Scholars is a free, year-long program designed to help high school students learn about accounting and the CPA profession. This national award-winning program provides monthly career and college-prep events, as well as a dedicated mentor for each Scholar throughout the year.

Candidates for the program are high-potential students who are U.S. racial or ethnic minorities with an interest in business or accounting, and a GPA of 2.5 or above. They submit applications that are reviewed by the INCPAS Diversity Advisory Council to select each year’s class of Scholars.

This year’s 2023-24 INCPAS Scholars are comprised of 21 juniors and seniors representing 10 Indianapolis metro area high schools: Avon High School, Ben Davis High School, Ben Davis University High School, Carmel High School, Fishers High School, Lawrence Central High School, Lawrence North High School, North Central High School, Victory College Prep and Warren Central High School.

Their program kicked off with a Welcome Reception for the Scholars in September, their guardians and each of their selected mentors, followed by a Campus Visit to Purdue University in October, and then next week’s College Night to learn about the college application process and financial assistance options.

“We’re always thrilled to welcome and meet our new class of Scholars,” said INCPAS President & CEO Courtney Kincaid, CAE. “Each of these students are taking a very grounded, thorough approach to planning their professional future. In this year-long program, they get to learn the realities and opportunities of being a CPA—and ultimately how they can shape their own roles within the profession.”

Since the program’s inception, 246 Indiana high school students have been INCPAS Scholars — with 63% of alumni majoring in accounting/business at their college or university. Many still serve as INCPAS Scholar Alumni and return for the INCPAS Scholar Workshop and INCPAS Scholar Alumni Dinner.

INCPAS Statewide DEI Commitment & Partners

As a reflection of INCPAS’ statewide commitment to advancing diversity in the CPA profession, this year’s INCPAS Pipeline & Diversity Initiative Sponsors include 12 Indiana companies and all four of the national Big Four accounting firms.

This year’s Pipeline Partners are:

Premier Pipeline Partner — FORVIS
Alliance Pipeline Partners — BGBC CPAs & Advisors, Deloitte and PwC

These organizations are actively engaging with INCPAS on strategic activities, including mentorship programs, educational initiatives, career awareness events, and programs designed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion — of which the INCPAS Scholars is a cornerstone.

INCPAS National DEI Commitment & Partner

As a reflection of INCPAS’ nationwide commitment to advancing diversity in the CPA profession, this year INCPAS has joined the growing coalition committed to (DEI) within accounting through Accounting+, a nationwide campaign to attract a new generation of diverse students into the talent pipeline.

Accounting+ is a first-of-its kind, profession-backed, campaign to actively engage high school and college students with dynamic, tailored resources on the benefits of a career in accounting. By joining Accounting+, INCPAS is part of the collective effort to improve diversity in accounting by playing an important role in upskilling communities and working to create a more diverse talent pipeline.

INCPAS & CPA License Accessibility

In the 2023 “Increasing Diversity in the Accounting Profession Pipeline: Challenges & Opportunities” report, students and candidates said the complexity of the CPA Exam and licensure process are among the top challenges to licensure.

New this year, INCPAS has created guidance to make the current CPA Exam, new 2024 CPA Exam and CPA licensure processes in Indiana as up-to-date and straight forward as possible.

We share these easy-to-follow resources in our:

Candidate Tip Sheets

These new step-by-step tip sheets cover: Education Requirements, How to Apply for the CPA Exam, Scheduling Your CPA Exam, CPA Exam Scoring & Notification Timeline, Applying for the CPA License in Indiana, Maintaining Your CPA License in Indiana, and Organizations to KNow.
Sample: Tip Sheet #1: Education Requirements — Sitting for the CPA Exam & Getting Licensed in Indiana)

CPA Candidate Member Section

In this specialty member network, CPA candidates are able to connect with others in similar stages of the process. They receive up-to-date news on Exam and licensure changes, access to Virtual Mock CPA Exams, free event invites, Exam review discounts and more.

CPA Talent Pipeline Resources

Whether it’s finding new hires or retaining current staff, building and maintaining a team is a struggle for most accounting employers. In this publication, we call out the high-level U.S. demographic and accounting enrollment trends that employers need to consider when planning their pipeline strategy. We outline guidance for the 2024 CPA Exam and CPA licensure processes in Indiana, as well as their role in helping candidates along their way to CPA. Finally, we include checklists and questions they can ask to help guide internal discussions while planning for their organization’s short- and long-term pipeline success.

Accounting