Accounting
AICPA Creates New Accounting Scholarships for Black Minneapolis-St. Paul Students
The AICPA Scholarship for Accounting Students in Minneapolis/St. Paul provides $5,000 to accounting students attending colleges or universities in Minneapolis or St. Paul to help cover any education related expenses.
Jul. 29, 2020
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has announced a new scholarship to support Black and African-American accounting students in the Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. communities.
The AICPA Scholarship for Accounting Students in Minneapolis/St. Paul provides $5,000 to accounting students attending colleges or universities in Minneapolis or St. Paul to help cover any education related expenses. Two scholarships will be offered for the 2020-21 school year and two more for the 2021-22 school year.
“Our goal with this scholarship is to assist students in Minneapolis and St. Paul and continue our longstanding commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive accounting profession,” said Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, president and CEO of the AICPA and CEO of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.
The scholarships are open to AICPA Student Affiliate members pursuing an undergraduate or graduate-level degree in accounting at an accredited college or university in the Twin Cities. To be eligible, students must plan to pursue a CPA licensure and have completed at least 30 semester hours (or equivalent) of college coursework, including at least 6 hours in accounting. Applicants must provide student copies of their college transcripts, a copy of their resume, a statement about financial need and a short essay stating what they would see as impactful change around racial injustice and inequity or what they feel the accounting profession can do to impact change in this area.
The AICPA is committed to advocating against systemic racism and acting to build a more equitable society.
“The AICPA has a long history of supporting ethnic minorities, including Black and African Americans, in the accounting profession and we are always looking for opportunities to do more to help advance diversity,” said Crystal Cooke, director of diversity and inclusion who leads U.S. member-facing initiatives for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. “Through efforts led by our National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, we will continue to keep this important issue front and center as we work toward a profession that is more representative of the communities we serve.”
The AICPA and its Foundation offer about $300,000 annually in scholarships to help racial and ethnic minority students complete their accounting education and earn their CPA. The AICPA Scholarship Award for Minority Accounting Students is a renewable scholarship of up to $5,000 to ethnic minority accounting students. The George Willie Ethnically Diverse Student Scholarship and Internship Program provides ethnic minority students with up to $20,000 in scholarships and an internship at a member firm. And the AICPA Fellowship for Minority Doctoral Students provides $12,000 to up to 25 ethnic minority students pursuing a doctorate in accounting, which helps diversifying accounting faculty at universities across the nation.
The Diversity and Inclusion team also conducts an annual Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop that offers leadership skills and guidance to ethnic minority students pursuing accounting and working toward earning their CPA credential. The AICPA is committed to doing our part to contribute to ensuring a continuous pipeline of ethnic minorities within the accounting profession.
Scholarship applications will be accepted from July 15 to September 30, 2020 on ThisWayToCPA.com. Learn more about the application eligibility guidelines or apply here.