History of the Economics Department

Evolution of the Economics Department•In the late 1870’s, courses such as Economic Geology and Political Economy are offered.

  •In the early 1880’s a new course, School of Economy, is created.•In 1884 James W. Bell becomes first professor of political economy and history.

•In 1906 the College of Commerce is established as part of the College of Liberal Arts.

•In 1939 Economics is in the Department of Economics, Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology Department.

•In the early 1950’s Economics is part of the Department of Social Sciences.

•In 1956 the Economics Department is independently listed by the University.

The Transient Economics Department

•1956-1959 located in Hellems

•1959-1966 located in Cristol Chemistry

•1966-1971 located in the Hellems Annex (present day Education).

•1971-Present located in the Economics Building (former location of the School of Business).

1956-57Farr, GrantCarr, EdwinDugan, JamesEl Mallakh, RagaeiFishman, Leslie Garnsey, MorrisGarret, DonaldMcGuire, CarlZinke, GeorgeZubrow, Reuben 1957-58Owen, Wyn

1961-62Hansen, Hugh

1962-63Guha, AshokMiernyk, William

1960-61Brinser, Ayers Mc Clurg, Donald Myers, John

1963-64Bhargava, R. N.Long, Neal Jr.Uphoff, Walter

1965-66Cassels, JohnDowling, J. Malcolm Glahe, FredJohnson, Byron Phillips, Edward Poulson, Barry Repas, Robert Udis, Bernard

An Economics founding faculty member, Professor Zubrow was a special tax consultant for Colorado, Nevada, and Nebraska. He was one of the senior authors of the Governor’s Colorado Tax Study which formed the basis for the state tax reform of 1959.

Winner of the Thomas Jefferson Award

I choose economics because the building was closest to my fraternity…I stayed in economics because I had Zubrow.

-James Farquhar

BA 1986

An Economics founding faculty member, Professor El Mallakh co-founded the International Research Center for Energy and Economic Development (ICEED). Professor El Mallakh was a leading expert on energy and its relation to international economic development.

An Economics founding faculty member, Professor McGuire served as department chair and co-founded the department center that would later become the International Research Center for Energy and Economic Development. Thanks to a generous donation, Economics Department excellence is furthered through the Carl McGuire Center for International Economics.

The first Economics Institute was held in 1958 in Madison, Wisconsin with Professor Owen as its director. The next year the program was brought to Boulder. In 1975, under Professor Owen’s direction, the Economics Institute expanded from a summer program to a year-round program providing training for international students in business and economics.

Professor Bud Udis joined the Economics Department in 1965. As a prominent defense economist, Bud considered issues ranging from arms control, to military procurement, to trade in arms.

Barry Poulson joined the Economics Department in 1965, specializing in development economics and economic history.

Professor Poulson has served as the President of the North American Economics and Finance Association. Professor Poulson is an adjunct scholar at the Heritage Foundation and a Senior Fellow at the Independence Institute.

1966-67

Hsiao, Sheng Tieh Frank

Powelson, John

1967-68

Boulding, Kenneth

Geer, Marshall

Morrissett, Irving

1968-69

Ballantyne, Arnold

Schrock, Nicholas

Singell, Larry

1969-1970

Snowberger, Vinson

Senesh, Lawrence

1970-71

Shimizu, Yoshio

Morris, John

Howe, Charles

1972-73

Domont, Ronald G.

Helburn, Suzanne

Lee, Dwight R.

1973-74

Markusen, Ann

1975-76

Eaton, Curtis

Lipsey, Richard

1976-1977

Lewis, Stephen

Brauch, Charles

1971-72

Davis, James

Mcnown, Robert

Professor Frank Hsiao joined the Economics Department in 1966. Working in economic growth and mathematical economics, Professor Hsiao became an expert in East Asian development, particularly with regard to Taiwan. Professor Hsiao has been a Fulbright-Hays Fellow and been a visiting professor at the Hoover Institute, the Fairbank Center at Harvard University, Kansai University, and Nagoya University.

Curtis Eaton, CU Economics B.A. (1965) and CU Ph.D. (1969).

Professor Eaton is a University Professor and Professor of Economics at Calgary University. In his career as a microeconomic theorist, Professor Eaton has published over seventy scholarly articles and books while serving on the faculty at Calgary, the University of Toronto, Simon Fraser University, and the University of British Columbia.

Professor Powelson joined the Economics Faculty in 1966. As a scholar, Professor Powelson published over 100 contributions through books and journal articles.

Recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Prize for Non-Violent Peace and the 4th Annual Lentz International Peace Award.

“In a sense, Economic Analysis established my respectability so that I have been able to be disreputable ever since.”

Charles Howe joined the Economics Faculty in 1970, serving as chair from 1972-76.

Professor Howe is currently serving as the lead author on the water resources chapter for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as well as a member of the World Water Vision group sponsored by the World Bank and UNESCO.

Professor Singell joined the Economics Department in 1968. A distinguished labor economist, Larry provided departmental leadership as Economics Chair for two separate terms. Subsequently Larry served as Dean of the Leeds School of Business from 1993-1998 before returning to the Economics Department.

1976-77Lillydahl, JaneOrr, SarahTrimble, John

1978-79Graves, Philip

1979-80Hertzmark, DonaldThackray, LydiaAsh,John Bovet, Eric

1980-81Greenwood, MichaelHsiao, Mei-ChuiMorey, Edward Mott, TraceyPacey, Patricia

1981-82Kaempfer, WilliamKim, InvhulKohli, UlrichLehman, DaleMaskus, Keith Owen, Anthony Potiowsky, Thomas

1982-83Bradley, MichaelOrr, Douglas

1983-84Alm, James Bradley, Michael

1984-85Akacem, MohammedChen, Ming Chien Kaempfer, WilliamSchulze, William Waldman, Donald

1977-78Bell, Trevor Bramhall, David McKee, Michael Webb, Roy

1985-86Guidotti, PabloPeters, ElizabethRoper, Donald

Michael Greenwood joined the Economics Department in 1980. As an urban and regional economist, Professor Greenwood has distinguished himself as a leading expert on economic migration. For many years Professor Greenwood served as Director for the Center for Economic Analysis.

After graduating from CU, Gary Hunt worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the University of Colorado Center for Economic Analysis, East Carolina University, and the University of Maine. Hunt is currently a Professor of Economics at the University of Maine, continuing to work in demographic economics, spatial economics, and econometrics.

CU Economics Ph.D. 1984

1986-87Cesario, FrankShaw, Douglass Wang, Leonard Sullivan, Richard

1987-88Becker, CharlesAnayiotos, George Kruse, JamieMcKee, Michael Pourgerami, Addas Prince, Raymond Shenfield, Arthur

1988-89Byrns, RalphFoster, Gladys Howrey, E. PhilipLee, Byung-JooOlewiler. Nancy Pezzey, John Whittington, LeslieCarr, Thomas

1989-90Bruce, NeilCronshaw, MarkHunt, GaryZuchegno, Daniel

1990-91Baghestani, HamidCarlos, AnnFeeney, JoannGianoulades, Andrea Khalil, Saadeldin Markusen, James Pelter, Barbara Robles, Barbara Zax, Jeffrey Prince, Raymond

1991-92Kaplan, Jules G.Kohli, Ulrich Kulkarni, Kishore

1992-93Jung, Woo SikKilkenny, Maureen Rutherford, ThomasSkoufias, Emmanuel

1993-94de Bartolome, Charles

1994-95Alston, Lee

1995-96Flores, NicholasBeauchemin, Kenneth Alberini, Anna

CU Economics Ph.D. 1986

After graduating from CU in 1986, Alok Bohara joined the faculty at the University of New Mexico where he is a Professor of Economics. As an applied econometrician, Professor Bohara has worked in environmental and development economics.

CU Economics Ph.D. 1989

After graduating from CU, Leslie joined the faculty at Georgetown University where she became the Associate Dean of the Institute for Public Policy. Whittington’s research focused on taxation and family structure. Sadly Leslie and her family died on September 11, 2001.

James Markusen joined the CU faculty in 1990 and served as department chair from 1991–1995. Professor Markusen has held the Stanford Calderwood Endowed Economics Chair at CU and in 2001 won the Jagdish Bhagwati Award for the most influential publication in international economics for 2000-2001. In 2006 Professor Markusen was designated a University of Colorado Distinguished Professor.

1996-97Robles, JackChen, Yongmin Holland, Steven Morrow, DonZhang, Kevin

1998-99Boileau, Martin Canals-Cerda, Jose Carr, David

1999-2000Janeba, Eckhard McKinnish, Terra

2000-2001Iyigun, Murat

2001-02Pessach, Anna R. Walsh, Randall

2002-03Mobarak, Amhed Mushfiq Rubunchik, Anna

2003-04Alston, LeeSavage, ScottWang, Ruqu

2004-2005Mertens, WilliamSmall, Rachel

2005-2006Keller, WolfgangShiue, CarolJennifer LampingTania Barham

2006-2007Demirel, Ufuk DevrimUtar, Hale

• Nicholas Flores – City of Aspen, US EPA, National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics.

• Barry Poulson – Colorado Commission on Taxation, Center for Economic Education, Independence Institute.

• Jeffrey Zax – Colorado Departments of Transportation, Human ServicesTerra McKinnish – National Hunger Survey, Boulder County Food Bank.

• Edward Morey – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• Donald Waldman – National Weather Service, US EPA.

• Tania Barham- World Band, Nicaragua, Yemen.

• Mushfiq Mobarak – Economics development Bangladesh, Brazil.

• Scott Savage – Communications policy advisor Botswana, Tanzania.

• Keith Maskus – Egypt, Indonesia, China, Lebanon, World Health Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization.

• James Markusen – Royal Commission on Economic Union and Development Prospects, Mexico’s Ministry of Trade.

• Yongmin Chen – U.S. Department of Justice, Swedish Competition Authority.

• Michael Greenwood – U.S. Commission for Immigration Reform.

Dr. Tucker Hart AdamsBeverly A. BermanJames C. CampbellAlan CohenDr. Kathleen B. CooperJames FishVenita VanCaspell Harris

Richard MeckleyAndrew SafireEdward G. SandersDr. Chester N. WinterDr. Deloris WrightProfessor Luize E. Zubrow