Robert E. Jackson

Prof. Jackson joined Georgia Southern University in 2004 and retired in 2020.

— Biography from the 2021 Fall Commencement program —

Dr. Jackson earned his BA in accounting (1969) and MA in economics (1994) from the University of South Florida and his PhD in economics (2001) from Kansas State University. He began teaching at Georgia Southern in 2004. His academic background in economics and accounting provided him with the versatility to teach in three different disciplines within the College of Business, including finance, economics, and accounting, but his greatest contribution was in accounting. Prior to his career in academia, he had extensive experience as a CPA with more than twenty-five-years in public accounting. During his career in public accounting, he rose through the ranks to become a partner in a large local CPA firm, had his own public accounting practice, and was a consulting CPA to other firms and individuals. This extensive background in public accounting provided him with the knowledge to teach advanced accounting topics that ensured Georgia Southern’s accounting program produced accounting students that were workready and in high demand. He earned the reputation of being a demanding accounting professor that prepared students for a career in public accounting. His hands-on approach required students to use course material that simulated the work of a practicing accountant requiring the recording of various transactions including the year-end closing of books and preparation of financial statements comparable to what students would encounter in their first year on the job. On two occasions accounting students voted him as “Professor of the Year” (2009 and 2013). His research reflected his teaching, resulting in papers read by accounting professionals world-wide. As a servant scholar, Dr. Jackson served the university, college, and school as a representative of students and fellow faculty members, earning the School of Accountancy Excellence in Service Award in 2010. He served on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, the Academic Standards Committee, and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. Serving on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee allowed him to help students by looking at the sequence certain courses needed to follow to give them the tools necessary to better succeed in later courses. Serving on the college Governance Committee enabled him to have input on creating and amending policies that affected fellow faculty members. For these several accomplishments to the University, his students, and his profession, Dr. Robert Jackson deserves the title of Assistant Professor Emeritus of Accounting.*