Accounting Student Lands Elite Position

April 27, 2023

Buffalo, NY - Jay Henley, a Canisius University student pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree in accounting, is one of only seven students, nationwide, selected to earn a Postgraduate Technical Assistant (PTA) position with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).  He is the fourth student from Canisius University to earn a prestigious PTA position.

The FASB is an independent, private-sector organization, based in Norwalk, CT, that establishes accounting and financial reporting standards to follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).  PTAs work for one year with the FASB, during which time they become highly involved in the accounting standards setting process. PTAs are integral to the staff of the FASB and develop an in-depth understanding of the roles played by preparers, auditors and users of financial information.

Henley is a senior at Canisius University and will graduate this semester with a BS in accounting and accounting systems & analytics, and also with an MBA in accounting.  He is currently a full-time intern at Ernst & Young LLP and studying for the CPA exam.  Following his PTA position, he plans to pursue a career in financial accounting and advisory services.  

Henley will work on all phases of his assigned projects, which include conducting and analyzing research, conducting stakeholder outreach, responding to technical inquires, preparing memorandums on technical issues and presenting to the FASB.

U.S. News & World Report ranks the Canisius University undergraduate accounting program among the top 7% nationally. 

The Department of Accounting at Canisius University is housed within the Richard J. Wehle School of Business.  Considered Western New York’s premier private business school, the Wehle School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).    Fewer than five percent of business schools, worldwide, have earned this accreditation, which is considered a symbol of the highest standard in business education.

Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.