The Federation of Schools of Accountancy: Its Brief History, Its Lasting Influence

ABSTRACT The Federation of Schools of Accountancy (FSA) was formed in 1978 with the vision to improve accounting education. Although it did not meet one of its founding goals, promoting and increasing the number of schools of accountancy, during its 43 years, it facilitated engagement between academia and the accounting profession and provided curriculum guidance, a strong voice in the progression of accounting program accreditation, and a forum for discussion of quality accounting education. This paper describes the FSA’s inception, the evolution of its membership, its mission, and the facilitation of conversations focused on advancing the quality of accounting education. It also examines the merger of the FSA with the American Accounting Association’s (AAA’s) Accounting Programs Leadership Group (APLG). Finally, our review of the history of the FSA and its challenges provides some perspective on current accounting education issues and demonstrates that many of the challenges are not new.