Centre will foster excellence in accounting research and education

CA Institute accreditation attests to quality of Laurier program, process and graduate success

WATERLOO, November 15, 2005 - The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and Wilfrid Laurier University are today opening a new research and education centre designed to increase the expertise of Ontario's accounting graduates and practitioners.

The CA/Laurier Centre for the Advancement of Accounting Research and Education has been created to promote excellence in research and teaching in accounting within the Laurier School of Business and Economics. It will encourage knowledge development in accounting education and practice, and ensure that new knowledge is integrated into Laurier's accounting curriculum.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with Laurier in this important endeavour," said Brian Hunt, FCA, President and CEO of the Institute. "The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario sets a very high standard for program infrastructure, education processes and graduate success, and Laurier has proven outstanding in all areas."

Before qualifying to be the home of a joint centre, Laurier's School of Business and Economics underwent the Institute's accreditation process. Successful accreditation allows the Institute to fund and otherwise support the new centre. The centre will receive $1,000 for each first-time writer of the uniform evaluation, or UFE, up to a maximum of $100,000 per year.

"This is a great development in accounting education, both here at Laurier and out in the corporate world," said Scott Carson, Dean of the Laurier School of Business and Economics. "This partnership can only strengthen the research and teaching we undertake, and ultimately help us produce graduates better able to provide the expertise required in an increasingly complex world."

In its first year, the centre will establish its advisory board, develop its Web site, finalize its annual business plan and budget for board approval, and establish the structure under which it will approve funding of projects. It will also launch several projects directly related to its mandate. These include plans to:

Fund four to six research projects that link accounting faculty with top undergraduate students focused on accounting issues
Support two curriculum development projects, such as the development of new courses (e.g., forensic accounting) or development of curriculum for new graduate level programs
Enhance access to journal publications and/or linkages to shared knowledge with other accounting academics
Analyze Laurier's UFE success rate and recommend ways of maintaining or improving accounting exam pass rates

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario's 31,000 CAs and 3,500 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession's high standards of qualification and the enforcement of its rules of professional conduct.

With more than 3,200 students enrolled in its programs and 110 full-time faculty members on campuses in Toronto and Waterloo, Ontario, the Laurier School of Business and Economics is one of Canada's most innovative business schools. To learn more, please visit www.wlu.ca/sbe.

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Contact: Dr. Bruce McConomy
Director, CA/Laurier Centre for the Advancement of Accounting Research & Education
(519) 884-0710 ext. 2890

Peter Varley
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
(416) 969-4307 or 1-800-387-0735 ext. 307