Murphy Smith
Dr. L. Murphy Smith, CPA is the David and Ashley Dill Distinguished Professor of Accounting at Murray State University. His specialties are ethics, information technology, and international business.
Dr. Smith received his B.B.A. in Accounting and M.B.A. degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1977and 1979, respectively, and Doctor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Louisiana Tech University in 1983. Before joining Murray State, Dr. Smith taught at Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Louisiana Tech. In addition, he worked as a faculty resident in auditing at a major public accounting firm.
Dr. Smith has received numerous awards for teaching and research, such as the Outstanding Researcher Award from the American Accounting Association Strategic and Emerging Technologies Section and the Outstanding Educator Award from the Texas Society of CPAs. As a recognized expert, he was invited to speak at a U.S. Congressional Hearing in Washington, D.C. regarding accounting and business ethics.
Biographical Information for Murphy Smith
Dr. L. Murphy Smith, CPA is David and Ashley Dill Distinguished Professor of Accounting at Murray State University. He joined the Murray State faculty in 2011. He received his doctorate from Louisiana Tech University. Dr. Smith has worked as a faculty resident in the auditing area for Arthur Andersen & Co. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Institute of Internal Auditors, and the American Accounting Association. Dr. Smith’s accomplishments include over 300 professional journal articles, research grants, books, and professional meeting presentations in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Smith’s major research interests are ethics, information technology, and international business. Among the books he has published are texts on financial accounting, accounting information systems, introduction to business, and introduction to global business. His educational novel, Trap Doors and Trojan Horses, has been described as a ‘painless and entertaining way of reviewing technical accounting material previously covered in class.’ He serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Advances in International Accounting, Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting, and International Journal of Accounting Auditing and Performance Evaluation.
Among the journals in which he has published are the following: Contemporary Accounting Research, Accounting Horizons, Journal of Information Systems, The CPA Journal, Journal of Accountancy, Issues in Accounting Education, The International Journal of Accounting, Journal of Teaching in International Business, and Internal Auditing. His work has been cited in various news media, including Fortune, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Smith has served in a number of leadership roles in the university, academic organizations, and the local community. He has served as the President of the Gender Issues and Work-Life Balance Section of the American Accounting Association and on the Ethics Task Force of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. Dr. Smith is a committed Christian who believes that answers to life’s biggest questions can be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is a member of First Baptist Church of Murray, Kentucky. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married over 30 years, and have three grown children.
Personal Story for Murphy Smith
I was born in Natchez, Mississippi in 1957. The space race began that year when Russia launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. The U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, a World War II military hero, called on Americans to rise to the challenge, including providing better science and math education in schools.
My parents are both Christians. They were children of the Great Depression. Mom and Dad were models of hard work, perseverance, integrity, and fierce loyalty to family. During my grade school years, I regularly attended Sunday School and worship services at church. I learned much about the Bible that would provide me with a foundation for later life.
At age nine, at a Vacation Bible School, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at Lakeshore Baptist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. As a young boy, I believed that God loved me and that Jesus’s death on the cross made possible God’s forgiveness of my sins. One sharp memory I have of that day was my dad saying to me that the angels in heaven rejoiced over my decision. That made one nine-year old feel rather significant. My dad helped me realize how important each person is to God, no matter how big or small in the world’s eyes.
At college, I met the love of my life, Mary Katherine Taken. She was a Yankee, born and reared in the Chicago area. I was as deep-South as a person can be, growing up in two states, Mississippi and Louisiana. Despite a few cultural differences, we discovered we shared the same deep convictions about God, family, and life.
We dated four years and married in 1979 immediately after graduation. One thing about my wedding day remains crystal clear in my memory. Kathy looked like an angel. In all the days since, she has been my belle amie, scholarly collaborator, elegant companion, fellow adventurer, and firmly committed to the Lord.
Following our marriage, we both worked on business doctorates at Louisiana Tech University, hers in marketing and mine in accounting. We began a journey of significant spiritual growth. During the dissertation stage of our doctoral programs, we were challenged academically and spiritually as never before.
After reaching the point of despair, when I finally put my career goals in God’s hands, I discovered my heart was at peace whether I attained my doctorate or not. At this point, things suddenly began to come together and I made steady progress toward my degree. I defended my dissertation, the last step of the doctoral program, just three days after our first child was born.
Kathy later attained her doctorate. She resigned her faculty position so that she could be a stay-home mom and devote her time to the care of our family, which now includes three children. I am convinced that God richly blessed both my family and career as a result of that decision.
Prior to accepting a faculty position in the Accounting Department at Murray State University in 2011, I taught at Texas A&M University, Ole Miss, and Louisiana Tech University. In addition, I worked as a faculty resident in auditing at an international accounting firm. In my academic career, I’ve noticed that, due to “publish or perish” pressures, faculty members, including me, can sometimes lose sight of what’s really important in life. I have come to realize that life only has meaning when God is leading, not when I am trying to live in my own strength. I have learned that God knows my needs and promises to provide for them.
When I was a boy, growing up in Clinton, Mississippi, my friends and I started the hobby of coin-collecting. We loved searching for old and rare coins. On each and every American coin there is a date, a date that represents the number of years since God became man, an event celebrated at every Christmas. My prayer today is that everyone would look at a coin and note the date, and that they would consider putting their faith in the One who changed the calendar. History leads up to His birth, life, death, and resurrection; now we are counting the years until His return. What we do until then or until our death, whichever comes first, will reverberate throughout eternity.
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I have had my share of worldly achievements, but I have learned that only God can truly satisfy the soul. I am grateful for the people that God has put in my life: my wife, other Christian professors, family and friends. They have helped sustain me when the going was tough.
I am thankful for a loving God who is there for me in good times and bad. He is a God who loves me on a personal level and who is interested in my daily life. A Bible verse that has been especially meaningful to me over the years is 2nd Chronicles 16:9a, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Another is 1st Samuel 2:30b, “Those who honor Me I will honor.”
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