Nathan Goldman
Poole College of Management
North Carolina State University
“Dr. Goldman—affectionately known as ‘Dr. G’ by his students—is an outstanding candidate for this award. His scholarly contributions are extensive and widely respected within the academic community, but what truly sets him apart is his unwavering commitment to mentoring students. Even after my graduation, he has continued to go above and beyond to support my journey toward becoming a Ph.D. student. His willingness to invest time and energy into my success speaks volumes about his character and dedication to student development. His rapid ascent to full Professor, achieved in under a decade, is a testament to his exceptional leadership and impact.” – Jennifer Palmer, CPA
Nathan Goldman, 39, is the Dean’s Professor of Accounting, University Faculty Scholar, and Park Faculty Scholar at the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University.
His teaching and research focus on corporate and individual taxation. His work has been published in renowned academic accounting journals as well as covered by many international news outlets. His study examining the relation between foreign employment, income shifting, and tax uncertainty won the American Taxation Association Outstanding Manuscript award. Goldman currently serves as an academic contributor to Forbes, where he has published over 50 articles, and these articles have received hundreds of thousands of pageviews.
At NC State, Goldman mentors undergraduate and graduate students alike through his service activities as the Park Faculty Scholar, Deloitte FanTAXstic Case Competition advisor, and MAC faculty mentor. He is also active in his service to the American Taxation Association, his editor role at European Accounting Review (Associate Editor), and on the editorial board at numerous journals including The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, Accounting Horizons, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, and Accounting Open.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2019
Education: Ph.D. Accounting – University of Arizona, Eller College of Management; Masters of Accounting – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School; B.S. Health Sciences – University of Arizona, College of Medicine
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Advanced Income Taxation
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … As a student, I viewed my professors as those who taught my classes and did not consider much more about their jobs beyond them in the classroom. It was not until after I had graduated that I understood that being a business school professor is more expansive than just teaching and extends to research, service, and engagement. Combined with teaching, I realized that this was a career that I would be interested in. I reached out to many of my former professors to learn more about how the research interacts with teaching, and I just knew this was the field for me.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? My research interests span both corporate and personal taxation. I have several working papers examining the taxation of NIL, how individuals using stock trading apps factor in tax considerations, market responses to tax legislation, and the real effects (i.e., capital expenditures and R&D) of taxation.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … Working in public accounting. I worked at Deloitte until I began my PhD program. I still maintain my CPA license.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I bring a lot of energy to the classroom. I play music before each class and keep that liveliness going throughout the lesson. However, what may make me stand out even more is that I genuinely want my students to succeed. I keep class very structured and require numerous interactions with the material each week. I am also very available to my students by way of rolling office hours and an open-door policy for questions and help. These facets allow me to maintain very high rigor that often leaves students feeling accomplished at the end of the semester.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Lucky. I first taught while a doctoral student at the University of Arizona. I thought it would just be an easy task to complete while working on my research. I was very lucky that I taught over the summer when I had fewer other responsibilities, as I had no idea about everything that goes into providing a high-quality course.
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: Change is the only constant. The business world is rapidly evolving with new technologies, capabilities, and priorities. As a business school professor, we need to not just adapt to these changes, but also stay at the forefront of innovation. Consequently, it feels like every year is a new adventure into teaching the material.
Professor I most admire and why: I owe a lot to my own professors that I had when I was a student. I learned many important lessons from these professors that I still carry with me today. For instance, CJ Skender (UNC) taught me to bring charisma and energy to the classroom. Lynn Dikolli, Courtney, Knoll, and Ed Maydew (all at UNC) taught me to hold students to high standards and to implement the course with rigor. Katharine Drake (Arizona) taught me to take a genuine interest in student success and to make teaching tax fun. However, the professor that I admire the most is my dissertation advisor, Dan Dhaliwal (Arizona). I learned many important lessons from Dan, including the importance of leading with kindness and that team success equals individual success. Within the classroom, I am forever thankful for all that he taught me about pushing students as far as they can go (often beyond what they thought they could do) and recognizing and applauding their achievements as soon as they complete those difficult tasks.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Teaching taxation has been very rewarding. Tax is relevant for all aspects of business, and it is rewarding to teach them something that will be helpful throughout their careers, regardless of their exact future plans.
What is most challenging? While teaching tax is always relevant, it is frequently updated. Both recent major tax reforms (TCJA in 2017 and OBBBA in 2025) have occurred just months before I started teaching in that semester, which can be challenging because I always want students to have the most up-to-date materials.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Prepared
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Disengaged
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Tough but fair.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? My time outside of the office is mostly spent with my wife and two sons (Thomas – 8; James – 5). Beyond their many activities, I enjoy watching sports (Arizona Wildcats & Dallas Cowboys) and playing golf.
How will you spend your summer? I typically spend my summers working on research and preparing for the Fall semester. However, I often have neat travel opportunities to present at conferences and I always make time for family trips to the beach.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: The beach. Our family often vacations in the Charleston, South Carolina, area.
Favorite book(s): Think Again by Adam Grant.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? My favorite TV show is Ted Lasso. I enjoy Ted’s positive outlook on life, and how he provides such great life lessons (be a goldfish, be curious not judgmental, we should care, don’t judge somebody from their lowest moment, among others).
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? My favorite music artists are Eric Church, Morgan Wallen, and Zach Bryan. I play music in the classroom before each class begins, and music from these three often appears on my playlists.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … Interactive learning. So much of my time spent in the classroom goes over rules. The rules are great to learn, but they can be effectively covered via lecture outside of the class hours. If the structure of undergraduate work were to shift to more preparation before coming to class, I believe students could learn more effectively with interactive learning – groupwork, case studies, problem solving, difficult problems, and assignments – during class time.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … Understanding the needs of the new generation of graduates. Gen-Z has presented interesting challenges and rewards to professors and employers alike. While employers still seem keen to hire these students, it feels like the strategy has shifted from promoting long-term to short-term success. Gen-Zers tend to benefit from genuine interaction and investment in their long-term growth. I often feel as though employers are more interested in supporting short-term growth and success at the expense of this long-term investment.
I’m grateful for … My amazing family! I could not do any of this with the incredible support from my wife (Lindsay) and two kids (Thomas & James).
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