This year has been one of the most challenging times in the history of Mississippi State University and the Adkerson School of Accountancy.  Beginning March 2020, the pandemic significantly disrupted higher education.  We had to immediately shift to an online delivery model in the middle of the spring semester.  This was not an easy task and presented many challenges.  Online delivery continued into the summer and fall semesters.  In the end, we have been able to keep students on track.  I am proud of our faculty and staff for their hard work and dedication in a very difficult environment.  Their commitment ensured that students continued to have opportunities to progress toward their academic goals.  Students should also be commended for the way they handled these changes.  We are hopeful that more classes will be delivered face-to-face in the spring semester.  However, we are well positioned to teach online if necessary.

I am very excited that our strategic initiative to offer the MTax and MPA programs online is becoming a reality in fall 2021.  We believe the landscape for graduate education is changing, and strategically these online programs make sense for the Adkerson School of Accountancy.  This initiative is being made possible through a recent gift from Richard Adkerson.  A significant investment in technology will be made in a dedicated and renovated classroom that will be used primarily for the synchronous and asynchronous delivery of the online accounting courses.  A new website has been developed specifically for the online programs, and a marketing campaign will be deployed in January.

I continue to be proud of the quality of faculty choosing Mississippi State University and the Adkerson School of Accountancy to further their academic careers.  Two new faculty have been hired for the 2020-21 academic year.  Dr. Casey Camors started this fall.  She received her PhD from Texas Tech and is teaching financial accounting.  Dr. Duke Ferguson starts this spring.  He received his PhD from Purdue University and will also be teaching financial accounting.  As with all of our faculty, they bring diverse backgrounds and strengths to the program.  We are fortunate to have a collegial faculty who truly care about students and have the skill set to publish high-level research.

We are changing the format of the Bulldog Ledger newsletter.  Instead of a long newsletter once a year, we have decided to change to a shorter, more focused newsletter three times a year.  We believe this will help keep alumni, donors and friends of the School better informed of what is going on throughout the year.  As you peruse this edition, I think you will find a lot of exciting things are taking place.  As always, thank you for your continued support of Mississippi State University and the Adkerson School of Accountancy.

Hail State!

Dr. Shawn Mauldin
Director, Adkerson School of Accountancy

This year has been one of the most challenging times in the history of Mississippi State University and the Adkerson School of Accountancy. Beginning March 2020, the pandemic significantly disrupted higher education. We had to immediately shift to an online delivery model in the middle of the spring semester. This was not an easy task and presented many challenges. Online delivery continued into the summer and fall semesters. In the end, we have been able to keep students on track. I am proud of our faculty and staff for their hard work and dedication in a very difficult environment. Their commitment ensured that students continued to have opportunities to progress toward their academic goals. Students should also be commended for the way they handled these changes. We are hopeful that more classes will be delivered face-to-face in the spring semester. However, we are well positioned to teach online if necessary.

I am very excited that our strategic initiative to offer the MTax and MPA programs online is becoming a reality in fall 2021. We believe the landscape for graduate education is changing, and strategically these online programs make sense for the Adkerson School of Accountancy. This initiative is being made possible through a recent gift from Richard Adkerson. A significant investment in technology will be made in a dedicated and renovated classroom that will be used primarily for the synchronous and asynchronous delivery of the online accounting courses. A new website has been developed specifically for the online programs, and a marketing campaign will be deployed in January.

I continue to be proud of the quality of faculty choosing Mississippi State University and the Adkerson School of Accountancy to further their academic careers. Two new faculty have been hired for the 2020-21 academic year. Dr. Casey Camors started this fall. She received her PhD from Texas Tech and is teaching financial accounting. Dr. Duke Ferguson starts this spring. He received his PhD from Purdue University and will also be teaching financial accounting. As with all of our faculty, they bring diverse backgrounds and strengths to the program. We are fortunate to have a collegial faculty who truly care about students and have the skill set to publish high-level research.

We are changing the format of the Bulldog Ledger newsletter. Instead of a long newsletter once a year, we have decided to change to a shorter, more focused newsletter three times a year. We believe this will help keep alumni, donors and friends of the School better informed of what is going on throughout the year. As you peruse this edition, I think you will find a lot of exciting things are taking place. As always, thank you for your continued support of Mississippi State University and the Adkerson School of Accountancy.

Hail State!

Dr. Shawn Mauldin
Director, Adkerson School of Accountancy