Professor Amy Dunbar, who has been described as an enormously talented, passionate, unyielding champion for her students, has been awarded UConn’s Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching.

Dunbar helped launch the Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program in 1999 and is its academic director. The program is ranked No. 9 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Dunbar began experimenting with technology because she realized that graduate students, who were traveling extensively for work, had trouble attending in-person classes. At that time, online teaching was generally considered inferior, Dunbar said. By the summer of 2001, she taught her first online class. It was so successful that two years later the entire program was offered remotely, and remains so today.

Students said although the coursework was difficult, the level at which they had to work was matched by Dunbar’s intense investment in their learning. “She is direct with students without crushing their spirits,” one student wrote.

“Few can match Amy’s enthusiasm for instruction,” said professor George Plesko, head of the accounting department. “She loves the courses and the material she teaches, and cares deeply about her students and their success in the classroom and beyond.”

UConn Provost Carl Lejuez said professors like Dunbar make UConn a great university. Dunbar is no stranger to award ceremonies. In 2019, she was honored as the top tax educator in the nation by the American Accounting Association. Dunbar has also been named the outstanding MSA professor nine times.