There is a shortage of accounting professors with Ph.D.s who can prepare the next generation. To help reverse the faculty deficit, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) has created the new Accounting Doctoral Scholars program by pooling more than $17 million and soliciting commitments from more than 70 of the nation's largest accounting firms and several state CPA societies. Tax and audit are "the areas of greatest shortage," said Dr. Doyle Z. Williams, the program's executive director. The Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program is turning to seasoned tax and audit professionals to boost the supply of faculty Ph.D.s. Organizers of the new Scholars program are looking for newcomers to the classroom who have real-world experience in audit and tax. On the front end, firms sponsoring the Scholars program assist in identifying candidates and encourage them to become accounting professors in the audit and tax disciplines. Once selected, Scholars must be accepted and enroll in one of the program's 40 participating universities offering programs in tax and audit. Its first class began in 2009 and its second gets underway this fall.