Steve Moehrle, professor and chair of the Department of Accounting, received the 2019 AICPA Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award. (Photo by August Jennewein)

Steve Moehrle has a special appreciation for a distinction that one scholar earns annually.

Several of the professors he admires have received the national honor. So every year, he looks forward to learning the identity of the next honoree and personally congratulating the latest professor recognized for excellence in teaching, research and service to the profession of certified public accountants.

But for 2019, Moehrle didn’t have to wait. The professor and chair of the Department of Accounting at the University of Missouri–St. Louis received word that he would be the next recipient of the AICPA Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award.

“If you had asked me early in my career, ‘Which award is most reflective of the impact you aim to make in your academic career?’ This would have been the one,” Moehrle said. “I was stunned when I got the call.

“The AICPA considers research, teaching and service to the CPA profession. My career goal has been to excel in those areas.”

Moehrle, who’s been teaching at UMSL for 20 years, accepted the 2019 award Wednesday at the American Accounting Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco. He is the first UMSL faculty member to receive the honor, which has been given out since 1985, and is the second honoree from a Missouri-based institution.

“I can’t thank my colleagues and students at UMSL enough,” he said. “They make it fun to come into work and complete meaningful and impactful work. I also appreciate the many valued colleagues that I have across the country.”

The aim of Moehrle’s research is to further the CPA practice and to optimize the information made available by companies to markets.  He co-authored “The CPA Profession: Opportunities, Responsibilities, and Services,” which is published by the AICPA. He also served as the vice president of finance for the American Accounting Association and was a member of the AICPA’s Financial Reporting Executive Committee.

His teaching focuses primarily on preparing students for excellence in CPA practice, which has paid off. UMSL Master of Accounting graduates pass the CPA exam at rates far above national averages, earn positions at top firms and rise to the highest level of their organizations.

“I always wanted to be an educator,” Moehrle said. “Learning is my personal passion and using my passion to help others achieve their dreams is my mission.”