Upcoming Events

Department News

Farewell to Tyffanne Rowan (02/14/08)
Tyffanne is leaving the department after eight and half years of excellent service. She announced it through an email to all members of the department:

As many of you have heard, I have accepted a position at the Texas A&M Research Foundation. My last day with the Department of Economics will be Friday, February 15. 

I have enjoyed the past eight and a half years that I have spent here, but this new job will open new doors for me and offer new and different opportunities for my life and my career. I want you all to know that I will miss you dearly and that you have all contributed to my success in one way or another. I will always remember my stay here in the Economics Department and the friends that have crossed my path. I really would like to thank everyone for being so kind and patient. You all mean a great deal to me. 

When I go, I am leaving you in good hands: Jennifer will be taking my place as Graduate Admissions Supervisor, and she will do a terrific job assisting and taking care of you all. Again, I am going to miss you all and I promise to stop by now and again to see how everyone is doing.

To see the pictures taken at the farewell party, please click on Slideshow.

Congratulations! (01/22/08)
Ted and Brigid Turocy have a new baby boy. Brendan Daniel Turocy arrived this morning at 10:27am, all 9 pounds, 2 ounces, and 22 inches of him.

New Associate Head (01/18/08)
The Department Head made the following appointment on January 18, 2008:

I am delighted to inform you that I am appointing Professor Manuelita Ureta as Associate Head, with primary responsibilities concentrated on graduate programs as the newly appointed Director of Graduate Programs. Professor Ureta will assume the responsibilities of this important position effective immediately.

We as an administrative team – Manuelita, Rich and myself - look forward to serving the department to the best of our abilities at this critical time in moving the department forward. We value your continuing and important contributions toward achieving this singularly important departmental objective.

New Director of Graduate Programs (01/14/08)
Department Head, Professor Yoosoon Chang, made the following announcement on January 14, 2008:

"With the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, I am pleased to announce that Professor Manuelita Ureta will serve as the Director of Graduate Programs for our department. She will assume the responsibilities of this important position effective immediately."

Distinguished Lecture (01/11/08)
John J. McCusker, Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of American History and Professor of Economics at Trinity University, will present a paper, "Money and the Economics of Success in Early British America,"  on Monday, February 4^th, 2008, at 5:15 PM in Glasscock 311. This lecture is sponsored jointly by the Department of Economics, the Department of History, the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service. There will be a reception after the presentation. See the FLIER.

Cocktail Party at ASSA Meetings (01/05/08)  SlideShow of Pictures
The Economics Department hosted a cocktail party for faculty, students, and alumni in the Napoleon Suite on the 41^st floor of the New Orleans Marriott. The party was held on January 4, 2008 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Here is the report on the event by John Moroney:

Congratulations! It's a Boy (01/02/08)
Camille Soltau Nelson (Lecturer and Undergraduate Advisor) and Michael Nelson (Lecturer) have a new baby boy. Michael sent in the following email with three pictures: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3

Department of Economics Holiday Party (12/05/07):  SlideShow of Pictures
The Department of Economics Holiday Party was held on December 4^th from 7:00 – 11:00 pm at the College Station Conference Center, 1300 George Bush Drive in College Station, TX. Professor Chang writes:

"Reflecting on our first annual holiday party last evening, I believe that all of you attending would agree with me that it was a delightful success.  It was great to see such a super turnout of graduate students as well as faculty and staff and seeing you all interact together in an informal setting.  I wish to single out in particular the efforts of the Graduate Student Association in putting this party together.  A special thank you is due to Manuel for organizing, planning and hosting the dinner and activities.  It was also great to have the officers of the Economics Society in attendance to present the award for Teacher of the Year in Undergraduate Instruction.  We appreciated David Drukker attending and presenting the awards for the STATA Graduate Student Paper Contest.  I would be remiss if I did not recognize Courtney for her good humored hosting of the trivia game, an after dinner highlight.  When you have an opportunity would you recognize Manuel and his officers for their outstanding job.  For those of you who were unable to attend, I hope you will be able to attend in the future.  You missed a really good time."

Below is the report by Manuel Hernandez, the President of the Economics Graduate Student Association, who organized the party with the help of other graduate students:

Last Tuesday, December 4th 2007, the First Annual Holiday Part of the Economics Department was held at the Conference Center, 1300 George Bush Drive. More than 70 people, among graduate students, faculty and staff had a great opportunity to interact all together in an informal setting. The Economics Graduate Student Association (EGSA) was in charge of organizing, planning and hosting the event. The activities of the party included a trivia game, a raffle among graduate students, and a karaoke.

The party was also a great opportunity to recognize the work of different people in the Department throughout the year. We detail below the awards presented.

Teacher of the Year in Undergraduate Instruction:
Jeffrey Edwardson as voted on by the undergraduate majors and sponsored by the Economics Society

Teacher of the Year in Graduate Instruction:
Yoosoon Chang as voted on by 1st and 2nd year graduate students

Graduate Advisor of the Year:
Li Gan as voted on by 3rd, 4th and 5th year graduate students

Staff Assistant of the Year:
Patricia Elizabeth Kelm as voted on by faculty

The 2007 STATA Graduate Student Paper Contest:
As selected by the panel: Li Gan, Qi Li and Joon Park

Diego Escobari, “Price Dispersion under Costly Capacity and Demand Uncertainty”
Jingping Gu, “Estimating Average Treatment Effects with Discrete Covariates”

This is also reported in the web site of the College of Liberal Arts: Click here

Presentation (11/25/07)
Professor Bob Hanson presented a paper entitled "Revolutionary Change: Optimal Denominations in Colonial America" at the 2007 meetings of the Social Science History Association in Chicago, Nov 15-18. He also spoke on behalf of the Economics Department at Aggie Night in Dallas, Nov. 12, 2007.

A New Book by Pejovich (11/24/07)
Steve Pejovich, Professor Emeritus, has written a new book, Law, Informal Rules And Economic Performance: The Case of Common Law, which will become available in June, 2008. Steve argues in this book that "Capitalism has outperformed all other systems and maintained a positive growth rate since it began. This book makes the case that a major reason for the success of capitalism lies in the efficiency-friendly incentives of its basic institutions, which continuously adjust the rules of the game to the requirements of economic progress. The analysis throughout is consistent and is supported by evidence. Key components of the proposed theory are the rule of law, the market for institutions, the interaction thesis, the carriers of change, and the process of changing formal and informal institutions." You may want to read book reviews by a few prominent scholars, including Professor Tom Saving, at the web site http://www.e-elgar-economics.com/Bookentry_DESCRIPTION.lasso?id=4198.

Economics Professor Interviewed for Local News
Professor John Hanson was interviewed on November 9 by KBTX TV. He was interviewed about high gasoline prices. That story and video can be found here: http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/11163526.html

Fall Picnic
The Department held its Annual Fall Picnic at Southwood Pavilion on October 20. Fajitas and BBQ was served and everyone had a great time. You can see the  SlideShow  of the pictures taken at the picnic.

October Birthdays
The October birthday party was celebrated on October 1.

New Faculty
Hagan Kim joined the department in September 2007.

STATA Graduate Student Paper Contest
STATA Corporation has agreed to fund annually two $1000 prizes for our graduate students. All graduate students are eligible and have been encouraged to enter. The deadline for submission of papers is October 31. Winners will be announced and recognized at the Department’s Holiday Party, December 4.

Accolades for John Moroney
In early October John Moroney was awarded a Mexican American and Latin Research Center developmental grant to investigate Hispanic Profiling in Texas: A Statistical Analysis. This $5,000 grant will support the collection and analysis of Texas Department of Public Safety traffic stops and searches of Hispanic drivers and those of other ethnic groups. The research hypothesis is that Hispanics are searched at higher rates then other ethnicities. This grant will pave the way for a larger-scale study of Hispanic profiling in Texas and other states. Allegations of profiling – Hispanic and otherwise – remain a vital matter of civil rights and public policy throughout the United States.

EGSA Meeting
The Economics Graduate Student Association met with the Department Head, Dr. Chang, on October 2.

Department to Host Conference
Dr. Jansen and the Economics Department hosted the Conference on Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic American Communities. The Conference was held November 3 in the Allen Building.