Robert Walsh, PhD

Teaching Areas

• Accounting
• Tax Accounting
• Auditing

Teaching Philosophy or Approach

I ask students to do a lot of research – particularly in the taxation courses. We use ChatGPT or Claude to begin the process, then use the source documents to verify and write the requirements in their own words, and how it applies to the case at hand.  Many times the questions do not have a clear-cut answer – I grade on the way students answer the question and the weight of the evidence they bring to the table.  Communication is also important – I ask for different forms to different audiences – a lengthy memo to your firm’s management, a short email response to an immediate supervisor, a simply written letter to a tax client whose might not have a background in taxation.

Research Interests and Expertises

I have done research in ethics, Catholic social teaching, teaching accounting, tax complexity and tax economic incentives and burdens. In the past few years, I have been researching the history of taxation in the US – why various tax laws have been enacted or repeal. It also makes me a better teacher – I can explain the students the thought processes that go on with lawmakers to create new or updated tax laws.  That’s important to know – it gives the students a better idea of the effects of a tax rules if they understand the history of the law and how it has previously been an incentive or not to particular actions.

Awards and Honors

Multiple conference best paper awards, 2007 American Accounting Association Hall of Fame. 

Professional Engagement and Impact

I have been very involved with the Texas Society of CPAs over the years. This involvement has included presenting at practitioner conferences, serving on the liaison committee for Practitioners/Educators, and coordinating the annual accounting professors conference.

I have also served as the president and program chair to the annual Southwest Regional American Accounting Association program, and a principal organizer for the Beta Gamma Sigma Leadership Conference in fall of 2025. 

Also on the editorial boards for the Accounting Historians Journal (https://aaahq.org/Accounting-Historians) and the Journal of Accounting Education (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-accounting-education/about/editorial-board)