Alumni Newsletter September 2018
Update from the Chair
In 2013-14, Western Economics set as a strategic goal to become a Top 30 Economics Department in the world as ranked by a RePEc ranking measure based on the number of journal pages generated by departments weighted by the impact of the journals and by the number of authors. At the time, the Department was ranked 37th in the world, 10th in North American public universities, and 3rd in Canada. Today, Western Economics has moved up to 29th in the world and 8th in North America. Western is still 3rd in Canada behind UBC (22nd) and Toronto (25th), but it is much closer to them and far ahead of Queen’s (ranked 44th in the world and 4th in Canada). These gains have been achieved through focused hiring primarily in the core areas of economics – macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics, and the Department’s chosen area of research strength: Human Capital and Productivity. They were accomplished despite substantial turnover including faculty members who were recruited and lost since the plan was developed. Such gains would not have been possible without the strong support from President Chakma, Provost Deakin, Dean Timney and now Dean Andersen. The Department looks forward to working with incoming Provost Hrymak and Western’s new President to be chosen this fall as we strive to build on these gains.
We continue to welcome new faculty and say goodbye to old friends. This fall we are excited to welcome Amanda Michaud and Juan Carlos Hatchondo. Igor Livshits, Jo Mullins and Jacob Short have moved on to other places and we wish them well. We are also saddened by the passing of Ron Wonnacott and Grant Reuber, both staunch supporters of Western Economics. We miss them greatly. On a happier note Salvador Navarro was awarded the 2018 Faculty Scholar Award and Steve Williamson was named a Fellow of the Bank of Canada and Debra Merrifield won Western's Staff Award of Excellence. These awards mark our fifth Faculty Scholar, first Bank Fellowship and thrid Staff Award of Excellence. These awards mark our fifth Faculty Scholar award and first Bank Fellow. Finally, we will be back on the market again this year with senior and junior positions in a variety of fields including macroeconomics/international, econometrics/applied econometrics, and financial economics/econometrics. Be sure to send us your best students!
In addition to a busy recruiting season, the Department will be undergoing a leadership review. As part of the review process, the Department will be hosting two external reviewers this fall as the Chair Selection Committee works to choose the next Chair. If you have views on the Department that you would like to share with the Chair Selection Committee, please feel free to send your thoughts and comments to economics@uwo.ca.
The Department is also preparing for the first review of the MFE program. As part of our preparation for this program review, we will be conducting focus groups with current students and surveys of our alumni. Please watch for emails from the Department regarding such surveys as we would very much appreciate your input. We value your perspective as we look to make improvements and increase the real world relevance of this program.
In addition to providing feedback for these reviews, there are other ways that we could use your support. First and foremost, we would like to continue to strengthen the links between you, our alumni, and our current students. There are several ways to make this happen. Check out our undergraduate course offerings this year and volunteer to speak to a class that relates to your career or host an info session on your company for students searching for internships and jobs. Volunteer for Economics Career Night which will be held in early February 2019. Come see faculty at the Dean’s Homecoming event at the CEEPs. Even if you cannot make it back to Western or out to an event, let us know about any new changes in your life that you would like to share with your fellow alumni in future newsletters.
As we build and grow, external resources will be needed to complement the internal investments. With provincial budgets cuts on the horizon and growing global competition, your donations matter more than ever. Please help by donating to our Economics Excellence Fund which supports our Visiting Scholar Program or contact us to discuss how you or your firm can help in our fundraising efforts.
It has been my pleasure to be the Chair of Western Economics. One of my favourite parts of the job has been to meet and engage with alumni. Your love of Western and willingness to help the Economics Department has been an important part of our success.
Please do continue to stay in touch! We love to hear from you. To connect with us, visit the Alumni website and update your profile, join us at an upcoming event, send us an email, or stop in for a visit.
Until then, remember,...The World Demands...Western Supplies.
Audra Bowlus
Chair
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