The skills gap in the accounting profession is not a new issue. More than 30 years of research and studies all point to an ever-increasing disparity between what accountants do and what the mainstream accounting curriculum teaches. Technology and businesses are changing and evolving rapidly, as are the expectations for accountants. Advances in the areas of automation and machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain are examples of current technology disruptions in the accounting industry. The competencies and skills needed today for the accounting profession in the broad sense are not being taught by most universities. The purpose of this paper is to explore what these competencies and skills are, and why accounting curricula needs a strategic transformation into higher education for a learned profession.

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The online classroom continues to play an ever increasing role in higher education. There are proven, research-based pedagogical techniques available to instructors who want to create online courses that are both dynamic and engaging. With careful planning, online learning can provide students with a positive learning experience without sacrificing the academic quality of learning. Addressing security issues and challenges is vital to maintaining the desired academic rigor and quality. This paper discusses these important security issues and offers a variety of solutions for facilitating a secure learning environment.

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This article describes the lessons learned by our university during the global healthcare crisis of COVID-19. It highlights the agile solutions employed to continue learning under extraordinary circumstances. While we have captured the stories that allowed our students to power through this tumultuous period if they so desired, these lessons may also provide guidance to other higher education institutions not only for the current turbulent times, but also enhance their ability to pause and pivot by utilizing agile management to weather this and future storms.