Anderson School of Management launches experiential learning plan to grow accounting enrollment

According to the Journal of Accountancy, enrollment for undergraduate students in U.S. college accounting programs has increased 7.3% from the fall 2024 semester. The UNM Anderson School of Management aims to build on this momentum while addressing New Mexico’s shortage of accounting professionals through recruitment efforts based in experiential learning.

To meet this challenge, Anderson has developed a five-year plan with the objective of increasing the enrollment of undergraduate and graduate accounting students through opportunities outside of the classroom. Initiatives for the first-year focus on removing barriers to professional exposure by funding student attendance to conferences and competitions, hosting networking and recruitment events, and creating faculty stipends to support and oversee these efforts.

For Tracy Utterback, an Anderson accounting alum and longtime industry leader, these initiatives reflect a broader need to reframe how students view the accounting profession.

“CFOs have a huge role in the C-suite of any company,” Utterback said. “They really drive strategic alignment, deliver financial clarity and insightful reporting—they’re not just the bookkeepers. They have a seat at the table and interact with the CEO on a daily basis.”

Utterback has over 34 years of experience in leading teams in the construction industry in financial reporting, project management, taxation, insurance, and risk management. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he has worked in both the public and private sectors and is passionate about increasing student interest in accounting.

His passion for recruitment is rooted in his own career journey and an understanding of the discipline’s long-term value. While acknowledging that accounting programs are demanding and require years of study, Utterback emphasized that the rigor of the curriculum is precisely what makes it so versatile.

“It teaches you how to think and it gives you invaluable skills. And if [accounting] is not for you, then you’ve got these skills that you can use in any profession. Like anything that is difficult, it can be extremely rewarding.”

In the first year of funding, Anderson aims to give students direct access to current accounting professionals and expose students to real-world applications of accounting. Planned efforts include events such as Breakfast/Lunch with Accountants, connecting the UNM chapter of Beta Alpha Psi with the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), funding for students to attend the IMA annual meeting, and the creation of a local case competition with monetary awards.

“Just like in any sport or any activity, you have to give [students] the opportunity to compete. Once they’ve had that taste, it just reinforces that this is something that they want to do,” said Utterback.

Beyond individual student outcomes, experiential learning benefits the broader community by strengthening ties between the university and industry, helping to bridge workforce gaps and create opportunities for mentorship.

Reflecting on his own experience, Utterback emphasized the importance of giving students the chance to look beyond the classroom and begin envisioning what their careers might look like after graduation.

“A lot of students graduate with a business degree and then ask, ‘What’s next?’” Utterback said. “They don’t always know—and that’s not their fault. But when you introduce students to a profession that requires extensive training and education, you give them an automatic path. From there, that path can broaden, and they can develop it further toward their interests.”

Utterback spent the first decade of his career working in public-sector accounting, followed by 20 years at Jaynes Corporation where he built a deep foundation of experience.

“I began working more in transaction-based areas, which I found especially interesting and gave me opportunities in different settings,” Tracy said. “Those skills opened doors to other roles later in my career.” As CFO, he ultimately led the transitions of two different companies to become 100% employee-owned through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) and helped negotiate the sale of a California ESOP to a public company, Granite Construction.

Today, Utterback serves as a director at Granite Construction, where he focuses on integration, operational reporting, and mergers and acquisitions. He graduated from the Anderson School of Management in 1991 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and has remained deeply connected to the Anderson community ever since.

As an engaged alumnus, Utterback served for several years on the Anderson Foundation Board prior to its dissolution, including a term as board chair, and was recently named a 2026 Hall of Fame honoree.

“Don’t get hung up on the stereotype,” Utterback advised. “Accounting can be very exciting and the different paths that you can choose—once you have the skill set—are limitless.”

By providing students with meaningful opportunities to meet and collaborate with leading accounting professionals such as Tracy Utterback, students can learn firsthand from their years of experience and gain valuable insight into the many career paths within the field. Anderson hopes these first-year objectives will make the accounting program more visible, attractive, and relevant to prospective students.

Support Anderson’s goals by donating to the Experiential Accounting Fund. Select “view all giving options” and search for Experiential Accounting Fund. For additional questions, contact Melanie Hitchcock at Melanie.Hitchcock@unmfund.org or Janice Ruggiero at Janice.Ruggiero@unmfund.org.