The MSA program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, a significant milestone for the trailblazing program that consistently ranks among the best in the nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I could take the spirit, the energy, and the interaction that occurs in this program, bottle it and present it to potential students,\u2019\u2019 said accounting professor Steve Pedneault<\/strong>, who owns a forensic accounting firm and has been teaching in the program since 2007. \u201cIf they knew how special it is here, they would all come to UConn.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n He said he speaks with colleagues and students around the country, who confirm that UConn MSA is unique.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, our professors are experts in the field. You\u2019re learning forensic accounting from an expert, you\u2019re learning tax law from people who worked at the IRS,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we also do better than anyone else is our level of interaction with students,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cWhen I started here, the leadership made it clear if you\u2019re not going to have a high level of interaction with students, you\u2019re not going to be here long!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n To honor its history and achievement, the MSA program is having a 25th anniversary dinner Oct. 17. Faculty, alumni, students, and business partners are welcome to attend.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very excited to be hosting this event and to recognize the MSA program for how groundbreaking it was,\u2019\u2019 said Professor George Plesko<\/strong>, head of the accounting department. \u201cWe\u2019re proud that we have maintained the program\u2019s excellence, despite the increased competition, and regularly receive national recognition among the best online programs in the country. There are many people who have contributed to that success and I am grateful for them all.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n The MSA program began in-person in 1999 and quickly converted to an online format, an approach to education that was almost unheard of then. In the last decade, U.S. News has consistently ranked the program among the Top 10 in the nation.<\/p>\n Professor Irene Louth<\/strong> \u201902, \u201903 MSA is the Chief Tax Officer and Vice President of Taxation at Atlas Air and a two-time UConn alumna. She holds the accounting program in the highest regard.<\/p>\n \u201cUConn is a world-class institution, and it was a privilege to be part of the UConn Accounting community,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cMy accounting degrees opened doors for me, and I had many companies competing for my skills. Because of my education at UConn, I passed my CPA exam on the first try with one of the top scores in the state. My UConn experience was excellent and allowed me to step into the world of accounting.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n When she was approached about an opportunity to teach in the program two years ago, she didn\u2019t hesitate. She said it was an honor to apply her knowledge and experience and nurture the next generation of professionals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe MSA program instills a great sense of readiness for the learners,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cUConn prepares you for what comes next, whether it\u2019s the CPA exam or life as a young professional.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Alumna Christine D. Gagnon<\/strong> \u201902, \u201903 MSA , \u201808 MBA is Chief Financial Officer of Roha Group, a New York-based private equity firm, and CEO of Odin Frigg, a boutique agency and advisory services firm. She said that one of the most memorable aspects of the MSA program is the quality and engagement of the faculty.<\/p>\n \u201cThe faculty were very caring and invested,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cMy fellow students were all of a solid caliber and were striving for high performance as they prepared to enter the professional workforce. Having a peer group of the highest quality was helpful. I\u2019m still in touch with many of my classmates today.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n She also appreciated the convenience and flexibility that allowed her to work in the profession, with all the seasonal and client-related demands, while completing her MSA.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Big Four were well connected within the department,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cFrom the university to the profession, everything was well aligned and very relevant. In addition, the program was practical; I could immediately apply the lessons I\u2019d learned.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Louth said she thinks more milestones are on the horizon for the MSA program. \u201cI wish the UConn MSA program another 25-, 75- and 125-year anniversary with quality candidates, faculty, and staff,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cI\u2019m biased but I think there is no accounting program that\u2019s better.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n The MSA 25th anniversary celebration on Oct. 17 is open to alumni and current students. Tickets are $25 per person. The event begins at 5:45 and runs until 9 p.m. at the Alumni Center in Storrs. To register, please visit: https:\/\/msaccounting.uconn.edu\/anniversary\/<\/a>. For more information, please contact Erika Durning at Erika.Durning@uconn.edu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" World-Class Education, Career Readiness, Engaged Faculty Distinguish Program <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":219795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1862],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2105],"class_list":["post-219794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-busn"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-02 10:43:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219794"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235356,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219794\/revisions\/235356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/219795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219794"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=219794"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=219794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Celebration Dinner Slated for Oct. 17<\/h3>\n
Part of a World-Class Institution<\/h3>\n
Caring Faculty, High Performing Students<\/h3>\n