DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
DEPARTMENT SPECIFICS AND INFORMATION
2009-2010
The Department of Economics is pleased to welcome new and continuing students to a new academic year. The purpose of the annual “Department Specifics” is to acquaint (or re-acquaint) students with the faculty, academic requirements and upcoming events in the department. For new information check the Economics Department web page at: http://www.whitman.edu/economics (especially for a list of “old vs new” Department requirements). New Department information will also be tweeted on twitter – http://twitter.com/econdept
Economics Faculty
Halefom Belay
Office: 215 Maxey
Phone: 527-5150
E-mail: belayh@whitman.edu
Courses: Principles of Macroeconomics, Mathematical Economics, Applied Macroeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, Labor Economics
Jan Crouter
Office: 146 Maxey-ESC
Phone: 527-5174
E-mail: crouter@whitman.edu
Courses: Principles of Microeconomics, Government & the Economy, Global Environmental & Resource Issues, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics, Principles of Microeconomics & the Environment, Intermediate Microeconomics, Law & Economics.
Luis Gautier
Office: 214 Maxey
Phone: 527-4989
E-mail: gautiela@whitman.edu
Courses: Principles of Macroeconomics, Development Economics, Global Environment & Resource Issues Global Economics
Denise Hazlett (on sabbatical leave fall 2009, Chair spring 2010)
Office: 308 Olin
Phone: 527-5155
E-mail: hazlett@whitman.edu
Courses: Intermediate Macroeconomics, Monetary Theory and Policy, Introduction to Financial Economics, Principles of Macroeconomics, Game Theory, International Finance.
Raechelle Mascarenhas (on leave of absence fall 2009-spring 2010)
E-mail: mascarr@whitman.edu
Courses: Principles of Microeconomics, Development Economics, Global Economics, Public Finance
Pete Parcells (Chair, fall 2009)
Office: 125 Maxey
Phone: 527-5267
E-mail: parcells@whitman.edu
Courses: Statistics for Economists, Economics of Crime & Punishment, Econometrics, Economic Geography
Karl Storchmann (on leave of absence fall 2009-spring 2010)
Email: karlstorchmann@hotmail.com; storchkh@whitman.edu
Courses: Principles of Microeconomics, Intermediate Microeconomics, Economics of Transportation, Econometrics, Wine Economics
Bruce Toews
Office: 105 Maxey
Phone: 522-4419 or Walla Walla University 527-2376
Email: toewsbj@whitman.edu
Courses: Financial Accounting
Yingning Wang
Office: 118B Maxey
Phone: 527-5175
E-mail: wangy2@whitman.edu
Courses: Principles of Microeconomics, International Finance, Public Finance
Be sure to check the Economics Department web page for a list of “old vs new” Department requirements
Information (and a timetable) on graduating with Honors is also listed on the Economics Department website
Comprehensive Exams for Economics and Economics-Combined Senior Majors
The standard written exam for Economics and Economics-Combined majors is the Major Field Test (MFT) in Economics. (In addition, Economics-Combined majors may have other components for the written exam.) The test is scheduled to be administered on the afternoon of Saturday, January 23rd at a location to be announced (tentatively Olin 130). Students should arrive at 2pm, bringing a photo ID. The exam will run from 2:30 - 4:30pm. No calculators are allowed. Anyone who needs special accommodation should contact Margo Scribner now. Students taking the MFT should register with Kathleen Hutchison in the main office of Maxey and pay the registration fee of $35.00. The deadline for registering is December 11, 2009.
Oral exams are tentatively scheduled to be administered starting Sunday January 24th, 2010. Economics majors are to sign up for one-hour time slots for the oral exams by noon on Wednesday, January 20, 2010. The sign-up sheet will be available on the office door of Professor Hazlett (Olin 308) on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010. Economics-Combined majors should contact the Econ Dept Chair (Parcells – Fall 2009, Hazlett – Spring 2010) by noon on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 to arrange the separate scheduling of their oral exams with the relevant Economics professor and the professor of the other major or program.
Information Meeting for Economics and Economics-Combined Majors
All Economics majors are required to attend a meeting at noon on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 in the Maxey Auditorium. Lunch and beverages will be provided for all attendees. Please notify the Department Chair (Parcells – email parcells@whitman.edu) – if you cannot attend this mandatory meeting. Items of business include: important information and timetables for all econ majors, the upcoming comprehensive major exams for seniors, preparation for graduate study in Economics, Law, Business, Public Policy; and other areas, the election of the Economics student representative(s); information on graduating with honors, and other matters that may arise.
Special Lectureships and Programs in Economics
1) The Genevieve Patterson Perry Endowment for the Study of Economics
The Perry Endowment was established in 1999 by former President Louis B. Perry to honor his wife, Genevieve Patterson Perry. Genevieve Perry was educated as an economist at UCLA and served Whitman in a leadership role during her husband's presidency from 1959 to 1967. The endowment enriches the study of economics by bringing distinguished economists to Whitman College to present a public lecture in the general areas of economic policy and business ethics and to visit classes. Whitman’s Perry Lecturers have been Paul Romer, Douglass North, Hal Varian, Daniel McFadden, Orley Ashenfelter, and Robert Stavins, Todd Sandler, Andrew Schotter. This year’s Perry Lecturer is still being determined.
2) The William Allen-Boeing Lectureship and Student Investment Endowment
The William M. Allen-Boeing Endowment, established by Grant and Nancy Allen Silvernale, and Nat and Dorothy Allen Penrose, provides funds for distinguished individuals in industry, finance, technology, and manufacturing to visit campus. The goal of the lectureship is to provide Whitman students the opportunity to meet and listen to individuals with expertise and knowledge of business. The Allen-Boeing Lecturers have been John Warner (Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of The Boeing Company), Peter van Oppen (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Digital Information Corporation), John Valaas (President and Chief Executive Officer of First Mutual Bank of Bellevue), J. Michael Rona (President of the Virginia Mason Medical Center of Seattle), and Gordon Reiss (currently, President of Intercontinental Enterprises Limited), Sandy McDade (Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Weyerhaeuser Company and a 1974 graduate of Whitman), and John Medica (former Senior Vice President of Dell Inc.). This year’s Allen-Boeing speaker is still being determined.
The Endowment also made possible the formation of the Whitman Investment Company (WIC) (see http://www.whitman.edu/wic), a student-run group charged with the responsibility of managing the William Allen -Boeing Endowment. Students gain practical experience in finance enhancing their classroom learning in Economics and other courses.
3) The Whitman College Working Paper Series
The Whitman College Economics Department Working Paper Series was launched in the 2006-2007 academic year under the leadership of its student editorial board and its advisor, Karl Storchmann. The Series features papers by Whitman students and faculty and Whitman symposium contributors. See the links to the Working Papers on the Economics Department webpage.
Graduate Programs, Grants and Other Career Opportunities
The Economics Department posts news of internship, job and graduate study opportunities on the department web-page and generally places fliers received from employers and graduate schools on the bulletin board by the second floor Economics offices. This location will be changed due to the new construction taking place in Maxey Hall. In the meantime, information will be distributed via twitter (http://twitter.com/econdept), email (the economic majors listserve), and on the department webpage. (The Career Center offers a range of services for students seeking internships and jobs). Students interested in graduate study in Economics, should contact any of the Department faculty, those interested in Business should contact Pete Parcells, and those interested in law should see Patrick Frierson (Philosophy).
Job Opportunities in the Department of Economics
The Economics Department hires a few students each year as office assistants. Duties may include photocopying, library errands, filing, book ordering, updating of bibliographic files, and data entry and analysis. Familiarity with MSWord, Excel and/or Economics and Statistical software is a requirement for some of these positions, and there may be a preference for economics and economics-combined majors for some positions. Wage rates depend on worker experience and duties involved. The typical period of employment is from late August to late May. If you are interested in these positions, please speak to individual faculty members. Be aware that if they’ve not already done so, student workers will need to fill out I9 and W4 forms and present two original pieces of identification.
The Economics Department also seekS qualified students to hold positions as Economics computer and GIS laboratory assistants. Successful completion of Economics 227 (Statistics for Economists), Economics 327 (Econometrics), Economics 388 (Labor Economics), and Econ 479 (Economic Geography), as well as training provided by the WCTS may be required for these positions. Please see Professors Belay and Parcells.