“The overarching goal of Summer Learning Day is to celebrate the importance of high-quality summer learning opportunities in the lives of young people and their families,” Rob Fairchild, director of the Center for Summer Learning at the John Hopkins University, which sponsors the observance.Today, 21 cities will celebrate the third annual National Summer Learning Day, dedicated to the importance of high-quality summer learning opportunities to prevent K-12 students from succumbing to the “summer slide”.

Kansas State University, located in Manhattan, Kansas, recently received a gift of $38,400 from the accounting firm of Grant Thornton, located in Wichita. The Wichita Business Journal reports this commitment will go to the K-State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign and will be used to help establish the Grant Thornton Department Head Fellowship in Accounting.The university also received an undisclosed amount from Brenda and Gib Compton to the Changing Lives Campaign that will be used to establish four scholarships, a fellowship and a building fund.

The average school district loses nearly a quarter of a million dollars annually to asset loss and damage costs, according to a recent study of district asset management.

Demand for accountants continues to exceed supply in 2006, and while employers are offering higher salaries and more benefits in an effort to keep their employees, low staffing levels are creating high pressure and resulting in even longer hours for many accountants, Times Argus reports. Finance professionals who feel overworked rose from 42 percent in 2004, to 53 percent this year, according to a survey from CareerBuilder.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced further details of the Special Enrollment Examination (SEE) in 2006. The newly announced details vary slightly from those anticipated in April when the IRS announced Thomson Prometric had been selected to develop and administer a computer-based version of the exam on behalf of the IRS.

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organization for the accountancy profession, is seeking nominations for a public member for the independent International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB).

“The future of our profession is built on the quality and the number of the young people who join us,” Leslie Murphy, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Chair explained while presenting the Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award to Karen V. Pincus, Chair of the Department of Accounting at the University of Arkansas. “That, in turn, depends on whether quality people decide to study accounting and how well they are trained in their collegiate and post-collegiate education.

Carole A. Symonds, CPA, MST is offering small business owners an avenue to learn how to make their businesses more profitable and increase their earnings. The first 1,000 small business owners applying for online training at www.MillionaireManager.com before June 30, 2006, will receive training valued at $3,100 and previously available only at live seminars. A $37.00 registration fee applies.“95 [sic] percent of businesses fail.

Anyone considering attending college or sending someone to college, be prepared. There’s a lot more to the cost of a college education than just tuition, fees, room and board. A recent survey conducted by Key Education Resources, the education financing arm of KeyCorp, found that 69 percent of students living away from home and 66 percent of parents are surprised by the costs of ancillary expenses. The most shocking expense? Textbook prices. Thirty percent of students and 25 percent of parents reported having no idea how expensive textbooks would be.