2016 Annual Newsletter | Economics | Michigan State University

Letter from the Department Chair

Headshot of Tim Vogelsang.

Tim Vogelsang,
Department Chair and Frederick S. Addy Distinguished Chair of Economics

Welcome to our 2016 Newsletter. I am now in the middle of my second year as Department Chair, and I am happy to report that the Economics Department at MSU continues to thrive and grow to meet the educational needs of students and to carry out world class research. Graduates with degrees in economics continue to be in high demand, especially as the labor market for new college graduates continues to strengthen. Therefore, it is no surprise that the economics major remains popular and large at MSU.

MSU Economics Ups its Support for the MSU Fed Challenge Team

The "College Fed Challenge" is an academic competition in which teams of students representing colleges and universities research and analyze economic conditions, then present their analysis, along with a recommendation for monetary policy, before a panel of judges. Now, the Economics department decided to increase and formalize its commitment to this activity.

American Economic Association's Summer Training and Scholarship Program Comes to MSU

This summer, the MSU economics department welcomed 27 students from around the country, students who came to East Lansing to participate in the American Economic Association's (AEA) Summer Training and Scholarship Program. This prestigious program was established 40 years ago with the goal of increasing the diversity of the economics profession, and is designed to prepare participants for graduate study in economics. It will continue to take place annually at MSU through the summer of 2020.

New Faculty Members

This fall, the Department of Economics welcomed three new members to the faculty. Read their profiles here.

Headshot of Rebecca Chambers. Rbecca Chambers

Headshot of Rachel Croson. Rachel Croson

Headshot of David Croson. David Croson

Outstanding MSU Economics Majors Honored for Academic Achievements

About 400 economics majors graduate from Michigan State each year, and each year the department honors a small number of the most outstanding members of that group, publicly acknowledging their accomplishments in a reception held at the close of the spring semester. During this year's undergraduate awards reception, eight economics majors were recognized for their academic achievements.

The Department is also very proud of Thomas Grubb, an economics major who was awarded a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship this spring. The Goldwater Scholarship is given each year to a small number of top US undergraduates committed to careers in science, mathematics, or engineering who display intellectual intensity and have the potential for significant future contribution in their chosen field. Thomas, now a senior with a double major in economics and mathematics, is the 43rd MSU student to be named a Goldwater scholar since the program was established by Congress in 1986.

In Memoriam

Robert "Bob" Rasche, 1941 - 2016

This summer, with the passing of Bob Rasche, the department lost a former colleague and long time supporter. Bob received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1963, and after working at MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, he accepted a job in our department as an associate professor. He was promoted to professor in 1975. From 1980 to 1984 Bob served as chair of the department. During his term he oversaw the hiring of a large number of young economists, many of whom went on to become prominent researchers and pillars of our department. Read more here.

John Francis
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of John Francis (Ph.D. 2001). John was the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and an Associate Professor of Economics at Louisiana Tech University at the time of his death in early October 2016. John's research was in international trade and urban and regional economics.

Economics Continues to Benefit from Alumni Giving

Like Michigan State University as a whole, the Department of Economics continues to benefit in numerous ways from the generosity of its alumni. We are, for example, beginning the search to fill the second of two faculty positions endowed by Fred and Marilyn Addy. Drs. Robert Goodman and David Kelly have renewed their gifts supporting our graduate program. John Whitledge has recently endowed a "Whitledge Scholars" award. And board chair and Econ alumnus Joe Hollis has launched an effort to create an endowed fund honoring Dr. Walter Adams. Read more here.

You can show your support for the Economics Department by making your contribution with our safe and secure online gift processing system. MSU's online gift processing system is an easy, fast, safe and cost-effective way to make an impact on the MSU.