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and supplies is vital if the center plans suggested to do that, given the hours Contributors
to print returns for clients. Waivers are a one must dedicate for a successful tax
must-have, as is a well-thought-out pro- season. For example, a dedicated and Mitchell Franklin, CPA, Ph.D., is an
cess for booking appointments, keeping experienced adjunct with no service associate professor of accounting in
track of volunteer hours, a preparation requirement could be paid for teaching the Madden School of Business at
process, a review process, and a checklist a course in exchange for running the tax Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.
to get the client out the door. Appoint- preparation center. Michaele Morrow Esdale, CPA, Ph.D.,
ments work well, too, but it is important is vice president of finance and opera-
to consider the possibility of no-shows Developing key skills tions at Outcome Capital in Boston.
and to allow for walk-ins. Pre- and post-test data from the VITA Annette Nellen, Esq., CPA, CGMA,
One final and important consider- center implementation indicates that is a professor in the Department of
ation is the selection of a site coordina- this experience effectively increases Accounting and Finance at San José
tor. In this example, the instructor was knowledge in taxation. It also develops State University in San José, Calif., and
a full, tenured professor with nearly two key skills that accounting students often is a past chair of the AICPA Tax Execu-
decades of experience working in tax, a lack upon completion of an academic tive Committee. For more information
decade of experience teaching tax, and a program. Projects such as this make about this column, contact
decade of experience running a volunteer it possible to teach soft skills that are thetaxadviser@aicpa.org.
tax preparation center. The expertise and needed for students at the undergradu-
confidence of the site coordinator will ate level without sacrificing training in
be a major factor in the center’s success. the technical skills required by firms
In this case, the center was not counted and that are part of CPA Examination
toward a teaching load, but it is strongly requirements. ■

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