Robert Bromley

I was raised in a typical 1950’s middle class home where I was sent to church and Sunday school. Work, responsibility and neatness were stressed in our family. A reasonable amount of fun and adventure was had with the kids in our neighborhood and especially at Boy Scout camp. Education was respected because Mom and Dad did not get the opportunity to finish high school. By the time I had graduated from Mt. Pleasant High, I was ready to become a “big man” on CMU’s campus. During the late 60s the atmosphere at Central was charged with intellectual and spiritual questions. Timothy Leary of Harvard was offering solutions such as free love and expanding your mind with LSD. The traditional values that I had heard at home, church and school were obviously irrelevant and I did not consider them. Besides it was easier to do what I pleased without having any absolute standards to restrict my psyche. Pursuing free love was more fulfilling than obedience to oppressive rules that were 4,000 years old. Fortunately for me the women I dated did not buy into that free love stuff. Because I’m somewhat cautious I was able to graduate from CMU without any arrest record nor commit any major crimes. My professional career began as a junior auditor with a national CPA firm. After much effort I passed the CPA exam. I concentrated on my carrier and worked hard. Rapid advancement came at the price of strict dedication to my profession. Meetings with family and friends were postponed to put in a little additional research on that new client. On one of those missed family holidays my father died from a stroke. I got there as soon as I could but it was too late to say goodbye. All of the status or money in the world could not buy back the time I needed to say thanks or I love you. It was gone. I had spent it on the wrong things. My plan for life didn’t appear to be working too well. As I reevaluated my philosophy of life, it became clear that there had to be something more to life than status, money and pleasure. Friends could not always be there. Possessions turned out to actually own me. Having fun or feeling good about myself did not provide any lasting reward. I needed something that was totally fulfilling, reliable, wise and eternal. I have never found it. Instead I found a person, God himself. The God of the Bible - all loving, all knowing and always there. By accepting Jesus as God a lot of things have changed in my life. I have found advice for living that has never failed me. Troubles still occur. Several years ago my mother was diagnosed with cancer and died six months later. But by this time God had helped me to reassess my priorities. I was able to leave my doctoral studies for a year and care for Mom. I would never have taken this kind of risk before becoming a Christian. Am I a good person all of the time? Hardly. But with Christ’s help, I’m becoming more of the the person He wants me to be.

My Life

Favorite Quote

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33)

Friends describe me

I hope they would say that Rob is a follower of Christ

My hobbies

My grandkids, swimming, SCUBA diving and gardening.

Fantasy dinner guests

Aslan, Dumnus, Susan, Lucy, Edmond and Peter; Bilbo & Frodo Baggins with Sam and Gandalf.

Best advice I ever received

Jesus is God

My undergrad alma mater

BS: majoring in Accounting & Economics, MBA: Univ. of Michigan, PhD: Univ. of Nebraska.

My worst subject in school

Latin

In college I drove

a bicycle

If I weren't a professor, I would

be lost - I love interacting with students.

Favorite books

Unified by Tim Scott & Trey Gowdy; The Language of God by Francis Collins ; I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist by Geisler & Turik, Crazy Love by Francis Chan & Danae Yankoski

Favorite movies

Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings

Favorite city

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

Favorite coffee

Hazelnut

Nobody knows I

I'll never tell and don't ask any of my fraternity brothers!

My latest accomplishment

Michigan Institute of CPAs Teacher of the year.

Current Research

"Control Over Separation of Duties in SAP Systems" at American Accounting Association annual convention in Washington, DC, August, 2018. "Algorithmic Case Pedagogy, Learning and Gender," Journal of Educational Issues, Vol. 1 No. 2, with Zhenyu Huang.