Steve Rosenberg’s legacy at Colorado State University runs strong in more ways than one, and he wasn’t even accepted the first time that he applied. 

“In high school, I was not getting good grades,” Rosenberg said. “I flunked geometry a few times: My parents – who were educators – were quite mad.”  

With this parent’s support, he ended up joining the Air Force after high school at the height of the Vietnam War. Following deployments in Korea and Germany, he returned to the U.S. and was finally accepted at CSU, where he graduated with an accounting degree in 1974. 

He passed the CPA Exam on his first try, which launched him into a decades-long career in accounting that’s given him opportunities to travel all over the world; and his private practice allowed him to work from home long before the COVID-19 pandemic made it commonplace.  

His CSU degree was ultimately the continuation of a family legacy: Both his brother and sister attended the University, and his father, Harry Rosenberg, spent nearly 50 years as a professor and one-time chair of the Department of History. 

Now, Rosenberg is giving back to the next generation through two scholarships for accounting students. 

 “I always wanted to do something for CSU, and for students in particular,” he said. “I think it’s incumbent for people to share.” 

He’s not just sharing through the scholarship: He’s also sharing his decades of expertise as a CPA with the students who receive his support.  

One of those students is Briana Davine. She received her undergraduate degree in accounting in 2020 and graduated with her master’s in accountancy in 2021. She said Rosenberg’s help ensured that she could focus on studying for her CPA, which has propelled her to a career as a senior audit assistant at Deloitte. 

“Steve was so helpful and comforting during the entire process and just wanted to connect about how my studies were going, and my future plans,” Davine said. “We meet for coffee, we stay in touch through phone calls and email, and he even got close with my family. We hosted him for a dinner after I finished my master’s.”  

Rosenberg said his personal connections with CSU students were so inspiring that he increased his giving to support scholarships for two students. 

“Steve is a proud Ram,” said Lisa Kutcher, the chair of the accounting department at CSU. “We love having him at events and back on campus to interact with our students and faculty. 

“We can always encourage him to provide words of encouragement and a smile.” 

Davine added: “He just wanted to make an impact on students.”