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G. Robert Smith, Jr.

Associate Professor
Chair, Department of Accounting, Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN

 

As an associate professor of accounting, G. Robert Smith, Jr. (known as "Smitty" around the world) says a lot of students ask him about his first job interview. “I always tell them it was real easy,” he says. “All I had to say was ‘I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.’” 

Smitty served in active duty with the U.S. Army for more than 13 years. But along the way, he prepared for his future life as a civilian. “While on active duty, I earned my Masters of Accountancy degree at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and taught accounting for the US Army at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana.”

Eventually, Smitty's love of accounting and his knack for teaching led to him becoming a college professor. Today, he has a PhD in Accounting and has taught at Auburn University in addition to his current job at Middle Tennessee State University.

His hours are demanding, but rewarding. “If I work only nine hours a day, I consider that a light day’s work,” he says. “There is no better feeling than being in a room of students, explaining a complex topic that they start to understand,” he says. “You can actually see it in their eyes – the light literally goes on. When you know your students understand the issue, the satisfaction is indescribable.”

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