Robert Walsh Ph.D.

Rob received his B.B.A in accounting, his M.B.A. in taxation, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics, all from the University of Notre Dame. He is currently an associate professor of accounting at the University of Dallas.

Rob previously served on the faculties of Marist College (Poughkeepsie, New York) and Webber International University (Babson Park, Florida). While at Marist, he served as department chair for two years and as interim dean for two years. He is a Past President of Northeast Regional American Accounting Association and the Southwest Regional American Accounting Association, and was named to its NEAAA "Hall of Fame" in 2007. He is an active member of the American Accounting Association and the Texas CPA Society, as well as a licensed CPA in the state of Texas.

Rob has presented papers at more than 30 academic conferences and has written more than 20 articles in refereed trade, industrial and academic publications.

His specialty areas include the taxation of individuals, corporations and estates and trusts. Prior to entering academia, he was on the audit staff of Deloitte Haskins and Sells in Detroit and in the tax department of Coopers and Lybrand, also in Detroit and Crowe Horwath in South Bend, Indiana.

Why did you become a professor?
I wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of students and I thought this would be the best way I could do it. I also liked the interaction with students, being on a college campus, and helping to get students to dream bigger than they would have otherwise.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?
I enjoy seeing students excel in a career they really enjoy.

What do you hope students gain from your courses?
At a minimum, understand what the rules and laws are and why they were made that way.  Also to be able to tell others what limits and drawbacks there are on these things and what is holding back those rules and laws from being made simpler.

What did you do prior to entering academia?
I worked in the auditing and tax departments of Big Four accounting firms.

What are you passionate about outside of the University?
My favorite sport is baseball - I am fan of the Detroit Tigers (my hometown team). I have seen a game at 35 major league baseball stadiums - many of which no longer exist.

What are your research interests?
My main research area is complexity within the US income tax system.  My dissertation examined the unintended consequences of management buyouts on the tax system.  I also looked at the historical evolution of tax laws in the US and why so little is done to the system to make it simpler.  I also have written on accounting ethics and online education.

Auditor and tax advisor at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Deloitte and Crowe Horwath.

ACCT 5323 Accounting for Managers
ACCT 8380 Accounting Research Methods
ACCT 5380 Introduction to Taxation
ACCT 6340 Entity Tax