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In the wake of corporate fraud and corruption scandals earlier this decade, Congress sought, through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, a legislative and regulatory solution to reform public company accounting and improve investor protection. Among other things, the Act created a new, quasi-public agency, the Public Company Accounting and Oversight Board, which oversees, regulates, inspects, and disciplines accounting firms in their roles as auditors of public companies. The Act also created new standards for auditor independence, corporate governance, financial disclosure, conflict of interest, corporate governance, and corporate accountability. While the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regulates public companies, it is clear through evolving accounting standards, changing IRS requirements, and even congressional hearings and statements, that the spirit of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act extends to privately held companies and non-profit organizations.
With increasing federal oversight, public scrutiny, and evolving professional conduct standards, it is critical that accounting professionals are better prepared to understand the context in which public policy decisions are made, are familiar with the priorities of the federal agencies that regulate and oversee their profession, and understand the policy-making process in a way that allows them to lend their technical and professional expertise to the formulation of future legislative and regulatory policies.
Washington Campus education and leadership programs bring accounting graduate students and professionals face-to-face with Washington insiders who explain how the federal policy-making process works, what issues are currently under debate and consideration, and how professionals can best comply with current standards and contribute their expertise to the development and implementation of new standards in the future. Participants spend three-to-five action-packed days in our nation’s capital where they meet with current and former policy makers, leaders of key federal agencies such as the SEC and the PCAOB, and a variety of Washington-based stakeholders, such as advocacy professionals, lobbyists, trade association representatives, think-tank scholars, and members of the press who influence public policy discussions, debates and outcomes.
Experience the excitement and tension of living and working in the nation’s capital while giving yourself, your company, or your organization a competitive edge in not only understanding, but ethically and effectively influencing public policy outcomes that can and will impact the accounting and auditing industry.
Open Enrollment and Customized Education and Leadership Programs
The Washington Campus sponsors open-enrollment as well as customized Accounting and Public Policy Residencies in Washington, D.C. Open enrollment programs provide opportunities for individuals, companies, organizations and associations to participate in our innovative, rigorous, and informative programs where they benefit from networking with accounting and auditing professionals from a wide range of companies, institutions and organizations. Conversely, customized programs enable companies, universities and organizations to provide their students or employees with outstanding leadership and educational opportunities that are tailored to their particular curricular goals and professional mission, at a significant cost savings to the sponsoring organization.
Our five-day, open-enrollment residency programs introduce participants to representatives of key federal agencies, the White House, the Congress, as well as experienced leaders in business, public relations, advocacy, lobbying and the media. Program topics include:
- Decision Making in the Executive and Legislative Branches
- Federal Budget and Agency Dynamics
- Financial Regulation
- Federal Auditing
- Tax Policy
- Non-Profits: Tax Reform and Sarbanes-Oxley
- Financial Accounting Standards
- Lobbying
- Current Topics in Economics & Business: Recession, Bailouts, Energy Policy, Cap and Trade...
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